John F. Kennedy 1963

Elaine de Kooning painted this portrait of John F. Kennedy using oil on canvas, and you can see how she fearlessly lays down each brushstroke. The process feels so immediate, like she’s trying to capture not just his likeness, but the energy of the man. Look closely, and you’ll notice how the paint is applied in these broad, gestural strokes, kind of transparent in some areas, more opaque in others. The blue of his shirt is almost watery, while the greens and yellows around him are thicker, more assertive. See how she uses these quick strokes to define the contours of his legs and the way the light catches his shoulder? There’s a real sense of movement and vitality. It's like she's sketching with paint, trying to pin down a fleeting impression. You can sense the influence of artists like Franz Kline in her approach to mark making, but she brings a distinctly female perspective to the machismo of Abstract Expressionism. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing dialogue between artists and ideas.