Taurus VII 1973

Elaine de Kooning made this piece, Taurus VII, with ink on paper. You can see the immediacy of the marks, how the ink splatters and pools, embracing chance. It's not about perfection, but about capturing a feeling, a moment. The physicality of the ink is so present. Look at the varying densities, from the almost transparent washes to the bold, opaque strokes. The surface is alive with texture. The gestural marks give it so much energy, like she’s wrestling with the image, trying to pin it down. I keep coming back to that one thick, curved line at the top—it has this raw, untamed quality. It’s like a bull's horn, or maybe just the idea of one. I see echoes of her husband, Willem de Kooning, but Elaine definitely had her own voice. She was part of the New York School, that incredible conversation between artists all bouncing ideas off each other, each finding their own way to express something new. It's a reminder that art is never fixed, always evolving.