Not One Woman: De Kooning’s Woman I

The grin (marked red)

Her mouth stretches wide across the center of the canvas. It’s painted thick, almost grotesque—but also playful, like something out of a magazine ad.

The chest (marked blue)

Bold and exaggerated, but not in a sensual way. This isn’t about attraction—it’s about recognition. Venus statues, fertility idols, lipstick ads—flattened and layered together.

The background strokes (marked green)

Swirls of energy radiate around her. They’re not background. They’re history. A thousand images pushing up through the paint: ancient, commercial, iconic.

Think About It 🤔 

What happens when an artist doesn’t try to “fix” an image—but keeps breaking it open? De Kooning didn’t paint Woman I in one sitting. He scraped, repainted, stopped, started again. What emerged isn’t one clear figure—it’s a stack of centuries. Myth, media, desire, fear. All packed into a single canvas.

There’s no hatred here. No glorification either. Just the push and pull of culture trying to understand itself through the shape of a woman.

How does it relate to the here and now? or What to say during casual conversation to show off your art knowledge?

Rethinking the Archetype – “De Kooning’s Woman I made me think about how certain images repeat: Venus, goddess, pin-up, influencer. He doesn’t erase them—he messes with them.”

Breaking the Frame – “De Kooning’s Woman I isn’t about destruction—it’s about reassembly. He breaks apart the familiar image of ‘woman’ to ask what else it could be. That feels deeply relevant today, as we rethink roles, rewrite expectations, and question the old definitions of femininity, family, and identity.”