Abstraction (Standing Bull) 1958

Elaine de Kooning made this 'Abstraction (Standing Bull)' with a loaded brush and a whole lotta energy. It’s like she's wrestling with the idea of a bull rather than just painting one. Look at how she lays down these strokes, thick and fast, especially those blues and ochres mixed with grey. It's pure physicality! You can almost feel her moving around the canvas. Nothing is too precious, the paint is put down in broad strokes, almost like she's sculpting the image with color. See how the ochre strokes kind of hover at the top, like a looming sky? It gives the whole thing this amazing sense of weight and presence. I see a kinship with Joan Mitchell, who also wasn't afraid to let the brush lead the way, trusting the process to reveal something unexpected. It reminds me that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the materials, and the world.