American Painter Elaine Fried de Kooning
Abstract Expressionist and Portrait Artist
© Meg Nola
Oct 24, 2008
Elaine de Kooning was born Elaine Marie Catherine Fried on what some sources note as March 12, 1918, while others cite 1920. Her mother’s love of art had a strong influence on Elaine, who enjoyed painting and drawing as a child and later studied at Manhattan’s Leonardo da Vinci Art School.
Elaine soon became part of a circle of fellow painters and students and eventually met Dutch-born artist Willem de Kooning. Willem had come to the United States as a ship stowaway in 1926 and worked briefly for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the mid-1930s. Willem was attracted to the beautiful and magnetic Elaine, who in turn allowed herself to be seduced through Willem’s teachings. The couple married in 1943.
Portraits and Style
Elaine continued her studies while occasionally working as an artist’s model, and had her first solo show in 1952. Through the following decades, her career would be varied and full of diverse influences. While she remained connected to the New York School of Abstract Expressionists, she also claimed that '[s]tyle is something I've always tried to avoid. I'm more interested in character. Character comes out of the work. Style is applied or imposed on it.'
Elaine’s portraits of friends and acquaintances also set her apart from stricter Abstract Expressionist painters, who did not believe in figurative representation. Elaine’s approach to portrait work, however, was intuitive and personal, with a kind of psychological exchange of energy between herself and the subject. Her portrait works included such notables as poets Allen Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara, and musician Ornette Coleman. Her best portrait is said to have been of fellow artist Robert De Niro, Sr., father of the iconic actor.
One of de Kooning’s greatest portrait challenges came in 1962, when she was commissioned to capture the essence of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was generally too busy to pose, however, so de Kooning observed him from various vantage points while he tended to business. Often, while de Kooning herself worked, President Kennedy’s very young daughter Caroline kept pace by creating her own small paintings by de Kooning’s side.
Inspirations and Enduring Marriage
De Kooning’s quick wit and fast and free method of painting often turned the effort of creating art into an interactive salon – for those fortunate enough to be around to participate. When she wasn’t working on portraits, her subject matter ranged from baseball to Bacchus -- the Roman god of wine and wild living -- to the famed cave paintings of Lascaux and Altamira.
Though Willem de Kooning’s artistic persona tended to overwhelm Elaine’s, Elaine herself insisted that she did not feel like she was painting in Willem’s shadow, but rather in “his light.” Despite times of intensity and a lengthy separation, Elaine remained married to Willem and helped to promote his career. She also counseled Willem in trying to overcome alcoholism, which she too had struggled with. Additionally, Elaine appeared unfazed by Willem’s 1950s series of fiercely primal paintings of women – in which he also broke with traditional Abstract Expressionist principles and allowed figurative work.
Later Years and Legacy
Beyond the studio, Elaine de Kooning was an insightful and spirited art writer and an excellent teacher and mentor. A love of cigarette smoking most likely led to her 1989 death from lung cancer, leaving the world a less colorful place. Willem de Kooning died in 1997.
Several of Elaine de Kooning’s works can be seen at the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., The National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Amarillo Museum of Art.
Sources
- Elaine de Kooning Obituary -- The New York Times
- Shining a Light on the Other de Kooning – The New York Times
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