Article
Black Friday, Willem de Kooning
Painted in 1948, Black Friday belongs to a small series of black-and-white abstract paintings begun in 1946 that, when shown in the artist's first one-man exhibition at the Egan Gallery, New York, in 1948, established de Kooning's reputation as a major painter. The black-and-white abstractions have been described as x-ray images; the handling of the white within the predominantly black fields creates negative shapes in a tightly interlocked surface. There is a suggestion of landscape- the barn-like motif in the upper left corner - shot with a lightening-like, almost spectral light. In Black Friday there is also an unusual amount of color, though sparingly used, for a work in this series.
An interesting dimension to the painting not visible to the viewer is the existence of studies of figures on the back of the masonite support in the style immediately preceding the development of the black-and-white abstractions. Apart from the difficulty of showing the painting so that both sides are visible, the back of the painting is problematic in that there are structural supports attached to the masonite board, as well as numerous stickers and labels of galleries and museums from the many exhibitions in which the painting has been included.
An interesting dimension to the painting not visible to the viewer is the existence of studies of figures on the back of the masonite support in the style immediately preceding the development of the black-and-white abstractions. Apart from the difficulty of showing the painting so that both sides are visible, the back of the painting is problematic in that there are structural supports attached to the masonite board, as well as numerous stickers and labels of galleries and museums from the many exhibitions in which the painting has been included.
