Big Blonde with Choker 1992

This is "Big Blonde with Choker" by Tom Wesselmann, and it's all about how he sees and represents a woman, using paint. It's not just about the subject, but about the act of painting itself. Wesselmann's work embraces the physicality of painting. Look at the black choker. The paint is laid down flat and opaque, and you can tell he has used specific tools to create defined edges, contrasting against the areas that subtly blend, where light and shadow are suggested rather than directly depicted. The smooth surface invites us to think about how the emotional experience of the artwork is shaped through its execution. This piece reminds me of Alex Katz, who also used flat planes of colour to depict figures, but Wesselmann’s work has a boldness that is all his own. Ultimately, art is an exchange of ideas and visual strategies, and "Big Blonde with Choker" invites us to consider the ongoing conversation about representation, perception, and the power of the painted mark.