Description
Willem de Kooning (1904 – 1997) Hand-Signed and Inscribed Offset Lithograph Gotham News, "A. L. Tssalessandoo, Bill de Kooning", 5 x 4.25, boldly signed and inscribed on the verso, of his offset lithograph of his oil painting, "Gotham News", 1955, with golden silk museum-quality matting to an overall size of 8.75 x 8.25, by the Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and moved to New York in 1927. In the post-World War II era, de Kooning painted in a style that came to be referred to as Abstract expressionism or "action painting", and was part of a group of artists that came to be known as the New York School. In fine condition.
While Willem de Kooning's paintings often look as though the artist worked very quickly, the opposite is in fact true. Although he did create his images spontaneously, without preparatory drawings, he placed each mark with careful consideration. The next day he often reworked what he had previously done. Since wet paint is much easier to manipulate, de Kooning often covered the surface at night with newspaper to slow down the drying process. Occasionally the newsprint would transfer to the work’s surface; when this happened, he either painted over it or decided he liked the effect and left it. Gotham News is in some ways an expression of life in New York, where de Kooning was living at the time: crowded, confusing, and violent to some people, while exciting, colorful, and energetic to others. And, for many, this city is a mixture of both these circles of sentiment. "Gotham" is the New York–equivalent setting of the Batman comics, and "News" undoubtedly refers to the newsprint seen on the lower left and top center of the lithograph.
$795 #11940
