I was exposed to Willem de Kooning’s work when my teacher, classmates and I were having a discussion during art lesson. We were talking about abstract expressionism and Willem de Kooning is one of the influential artists that had brought the movement forward. We can see by his early work there is a strong influence from Mondrian, and his friend Gorky, whom were practising in abstract paintings and surrealistic paintings. On the series of men, we can tell there is a strong influence from Gorky, in comparison with Gorky’s portrait and his mother, de Kooning attempted to bring the figure to flatness. From the Pink Angels, we can see a breakthrough between the two periods. Although the painting does retain some sense of lyrical line, yet it is
