Willem De Kooning's Excavation

In one of the most prominent areas of the Art Institute's modern wing hangs a work of abstract expressionism, which was inspired by the 1947 Academy Award-nominated, film Bitter Rice. The scene which served as the inspiration for this painting involves a woman toiling in the rice fields of northern Italy. The painting is the work of Willem De Kooning and is entitled Excavation (1950). Viewers will understandably be struck by the lack of a rice field, a woman, or anything that could be a shape of a person. There are, however, abstract images of animals and human body parts like noses, eyes, teeth, necks, and jaws.

Willem De Kooning's Excavation is joined in its long-term home with other works from the same movement, like Jackson Pollock's, The Key (1946). These artists use large and expressive brushstrokes coupled with various background textures to portray an overall mood. These techniques define abstract expressionism. It is easy to feel the tension present in De Kooning's painting, not only in the line-work itself, but also in the overall visual atmosphere they create. It isn't entirely pleasant and it isn't meant to be. The woman is not there because the piece is not about her physically, but about the mental disillusionment the field workers feel. Although a human figure is not directly discernible in the painting, the human presence is implied.

Those who would contend that the layout is arbitrary need only seek out De Kooning's other works, they would then understand that this is an odd piece for his visual style. It is strangely structured, and while De-Kooning is known for visually separating his subject matter into imaginary planes, there is something else going on here. It only seems appropriate that the overall structure of the painting is vertically aligned into approximate rows when the subject matter at hand is a rice field. None of De- Kooning's other works exhibit the intentional vertical alignment like we see in Excavation. Each individual feels the tension when they look at this piece, even though they may not understand why. This contention and the extent of abstraction used by the artist are both reasons why this work of art has stood the test of time.