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De Kooning Breaks Through
ed Grooms's witty portrait of Willem de Kooning (1904–1997) celebrates the achievements of this important abstract expressionist painter. Replete with visual puns, the work has de Kooning literally "breaking through" the surface of Grooms's print, suggesting the transformative nature of de Kooning's contribution to the history of art. Grooms's imagery specifically references de Kooning's Woman and Bicycle (1952–53), one of a series of Woman paintings that integrated popular culture imagery, such as pinup girls and advertisements, into a fine art context and bridged the divide between abstraction and figuration.
Similar dynamics animate Grooms's lithograph. With its sense of playfulness, frenetic movement, and violent tearing of paper, the portrait suggests the humor and energy of an animated cartoon. Combined with the brushwork of action painting and the unexpected three-dimensional folding of paper, Grooms creates a likeness as layered with cultural references as de Kooning's own paintings.
Red Grooms, 1987 |