Elaine de Kooning was an artist, educator and art critic. She was also an important figure in the abstract expressionism movement. Instead of trying to represent a person, place or thing, abstract expressionist artists used line, color and shape to express their ideas and emotions.
In “Bacchus #81,” Elaine de Kooning took inspiration from a statue in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Her paintings do not show exactly what she saw, but they include clues about it. Look at the painting and compare it to the statue. Can you make out the shapes of the figures from the statue in the painting?
Notice the brushstrokes in the painting. How do you think De Kooning might have moved her brush to create different kinds of marks, lines and drips?
For this activity you will need:
- Paint
- Something to paint on (sturdy paper or canvas)
- Something to “swipe” with (a plastic card, a piece of cardboard)
To make your own abstract swipe art:
- Put a few blobs of paint on your paper or canvas.
- Using the card, press down firmly. Swipe over the paint, spreading and blending it across the surface.
- Add more paint if needed. Continue swiping to finish your composition.
- Experiment! Try dipping your card directly into the paint. Use different gestures to tap, dab and swoosh paint onto the surface. How does moving your hand in different ways change the marks you make?
