Object Details
- Artist
- Elaine de Kooning, 12 Mar 1918 - 1 Feb 1989
- Sitter
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 29 May 1917 - 22 Nov 1963
- Exhibition Label
- Elaine carried this charcoal drawing to a high degree of completion and then added collaged pieces of paper to it. The likeness seems to express what Elaine was looking for in her efforts to capture the president’s elusive image: "In succeeding sessions of sketching, I was struck by the curious faceted structure of light over his face and hair—a quality of transparent ruddiness. The play of light contributed to the extraordinary variety of expressions. His smile and frown both seemed to be built-in to the bone. Everyone is familiar with the quick sense of humor revealed in the corners of his mouth and the laugh lines around the eyes, but what impressed me most was a sense of compassion."
- Elaine trabajó a fondo este dibujo en carboncillo y luego le añadió pedacitos de papel a manera de collage. La obra parece expresar sus esfuerzos por captar la elusiva imagen de presidente: “En sucesivas sesiones de dibujo me impactó la curiosa composición de facetas que la luz creaba sobre su cara y su pelo, un velo de sonrosada transparencia. El juego de luces realzaba su extraordinaria variedad de expresiones. Lo mismo si sonreía o fruncía el ceño, sus gestos parecían integrados a su estructura ósea. Todos conocen ese humor ágil que revelan las comisuras de sus labios y las arrugas alrededor de los ojos cuando sonríe, pero lo que más me impresionó fue su sentido de la compasión”.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a gift from Elaine to Ernestine Lassaw, donated by Denis Lassaw in honor of her two mothers
- 1963
- Object number
- NPG.2015.132
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Elaine de Kooning Trust
- Type
- Collage
- Medium
- Charcoal and paper collage on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet (irregular edge): 66.4 × 50.8 cm (26 1/8 × 20")
- Frame: 83 × 67.8 cm (32 11/16 × 26 11/16")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Male
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\Government official\US Congressman\Massachusetts
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Officer
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\Government official\President of US
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\Government official\US Senator\Massachusetts
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Literary awards\Pulitzer Prize
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Civilian awards\Presidential Medal of Freedom
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Military award\Purple Heart
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2015.132
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm42d64e688-63cb-48e2-a19b-3fd3bfd4557a
