Willem de Kooning

De Kooning is one of the most prominent and celebrated of the Abstract Expressionist painters. He eventually became most famous for his pictures of women, which he painted in spells throughout his life. While generally considered to be an Abstract Expressionist, he never fully abandoned the depiction of the human figure. His paintings of women feature a unique blend of gestural abstraction and figuration.

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His paintings exemplify 'action painting' - they are like records of a violent encounter. This is something I found interesting in my work as well. Rather than perfect painting, I prefer painting with emotion. You can see some small holes in my painting because sometimes I pushed my brush too hard. I am never afraid to destroy my painting if my emotion tells me that I should. 

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De Kooning worked on the background over an extended period of time, building up the paint layers in distinct stages. This is something I would like to develop in the future in order to make my painting look richer and more complete.