Object Details
- Artist
- Elaine de Kooning, 12 Mar 1918 - 1 Feb 1989
- Sitter
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 29 May 1917 - 22 Nov 1963
- Exhibition Label
- On December 28, 1962, when Elaine began to sketch the president, she recalled that "he wore a sweatshirt, white sailing pants and sneakers. He perched one foot on the chair and said, ‘Is this all right?’" She realized "that he was not interested in a painting of a man seated behind a desk with folded hands, so I took his improvised pose as a cue and I began sketching. This was the only time I saw him dressed casually." As she began to work, she used "pencil, pen and ink and charcoal. Charcoal’s great, because it enables you to go like lightening [sic]. . . . When he’d change his position, I’d switch drawings. . . . I kept jumping back and forth."
- El 28 de diciembre de 1962, cuando Elaine comenzó a hacer bocetos del presidente, y según ella misma recordaba, “él llevaba un pulóver, pantalones marineros blancos y zapatos deportivos. Trepó un pie en la silla y dijo: ¿Está bien así?”. Ahí se dio cuenta de que “a él no le interesaba una pintura sentado tras un escritorio con las manos cruzadas, así que tomé su pose improvisada como punto de partida y empecé a dibujar. Esa fue la única vez que lo vi vestido informalmente”. En el proceso de trabajo alternaba “lápiz, plumilla y carboncillo. El carboncillo es fantástico porque te permite dibujar como un relámpago. [...] Cuando él cambiaba de postura, yo cambiaba de dibujo. [...] Me la pasaba yendo y viniendo de un dibujo al otro”.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1963
- Object number
- NPG.95.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Elaine de Kooning Trust
- Type
- Drawing
- Medium
- Pencil on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 39.3cm x 26.6cm (15 1/2" x 10 1/2")
- Sheet: 45.8cm x 37.9cm (18 1/16" x 14 15/16")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Home Furnishings\Furniture
- 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.95.1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4aa38b563-a436-4db1-88a0-f959595a3203
