Willem de Kooning: The Artist's Materials

Willem de Kooning a quintessential abstract expressionist and one of the most influential painters of the 20th century forged an original style by manipulating both conventional and non-art materials in extreme ways. Whether he was coarsening the texture of alkyd paint with quartz and ground glass, applying a flurry of oil paints, cooking oil and water onto his canvases, or mixing plaster of Paris into retail house paint, de Kooning used his doctored paints to convey a unique artistic vision.

This meticulously researched book is the first systematic study of de Koonings creative process that applies comprehensive scientific examination of the artists pigments, binders, and supports to art historical interpretations.

Anyone interested in modern art history, from curators to conservators, students to practicing artists, will find in these pages new insights into the way an artist can achieve radical changes in style