"If something isn't aesthetically pleasing or interesting, doesn't require skills I do not have, and makes a stupid point stupidly, I don't appreciate it as art. That doesn't make me a philistine. It makes me a non-rube."

--Jonah Goldberg

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The One with Willem De Kooning

130. Title & Author: Willem De Kooning by Barbara Hess (95 pages)
Genre: Nonfiction--Art History
Completed: 18 December 2009

Summary & Review:
Art historian Barbara Hess traces the life and career of Dutch-American artist Willem de Kooning. Along with Hess' commentary are numerous, often full-page, color reproductions of many of de Kooning's seminal works.

I have an interesting relationship with the work of de Kooning. I always feel like I should like it more than I actually do, considering how important he has been to the development of modern and contemporary art. When I see most of de Kooning's canvases, they aren't paintings that elicit a visceral response in me, nor are they paintings that I can stare at for indefinite amounts of time. But, I do respect de Kooning's originality and his ability to change and evolve over his career by continually producing unique images, rather than sticking to a single style.

Rating: 6.5

0 comments: