Study for Woman VI

Willem de Koonings Study for Woman VI from 1952 is a collage of charcoal and pastel on cut-and-pasted ivory wove papers that represents a preparatory study for one of the most celebrated paintings in the history of American art, the Woman VI canvas that de Kooning completed the same year. The Woman series, which de Kooning produced between 1950 and 1953, is the body of work for which he is best known and the most controversial contribution to the history of Abstract Expressionism, combining the gestural energy of Action Painting with the representational content of the female figure in a way that challenged the distinction between abstraction and representation that had been one of the founding principles of the New York School. The collage technique, in which pieces of paper are cut out and pasted onto the drawing surface, allows de Kooning to reorganize the elements of the composition by moving the cut-and-pasted papers from one position to another, a working method that parallels the revision and reworking that characterizes his painting process. The charcoal and pastel on the cut-and-pasted papers create a surface in which the gestural energy of the drawing is fragmented and reorganized by the collage technique, creating a visual field that is simultaneously a study for a painting and an independent work of art. The year 1952 places this drawing in the most productive period of the Woman series, when de Kooning was producing the paintings and studies that would make him the most celebrated and controversial artist in America.

De Koonings Woman series is among the most significant contributions to the history of American art, and Study for Woman VI reveals the working process behind one of the most celebrated paintings of the 20th century. The study influenced the understanding of de Koonings creative process and the broader discourse on the relationship between abstraction and representation in Abstract Expressionism.

A 1952 collage by de Kooning of charcoal and pastel on cut-and-pasted ivory wove papers, a preparatory study for Woman VI that reveals his revision and reworking process while creating an independent work fragmenting gestural energy through collage technique.