Description
Willem de Kooning – Excavation
| Year of creation: | 1950 |
| Original size: | 254.6 cm x 205.7 cm |
| Painting style: | Abstract Expressionism |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Located: | Art Institute of Chicago |
Excavation – Willem de Kooning
Excavation is a painting by Willem de Kooning from 1950: a dense field of cream and ivory planes, laced with black lines and scattered with small flecks of red, blue and yellow. We paint our hand-painted study of Excavation to order on canvas, in oil or acrylic, in 8 sizes from 90 × 70 cm to 254 × 206 cm or in a custom size. Before Excavation is dispatched, we send you a photo of the finished painting.
What does Excavation show?
In Excavation the shapes crowd against one another, as if someone were digging them out of the earth: between the pale planes appear pieces of bodies, eyes and mouths, yet nothing is quite whole. De Kooning worked on it for months, laying on paint and scraping it off until the surface grew dense. The original Excavation is in the Art Institute of Chicago, and the painting is seen as a key work of Abstract Expressionism.
How is our hand-painted study of Excavation made?
Our painters paint the study of Excavation by hand, with brushstrokes of different thickness, separately for every order. We paint in oil or acrylic, depending on the subject and the size, so the surface of Excavation has a real paint texture that a print does not have. When Excavation is finished, we photograph it and send you the photo for approval.
Which size of Excavation suits your room?
For the wall above a sofa or a sideboard choose Excavation in 110 × 90 cm, and for a bedroom, hallway or work corner 90 × 70 cm. Excavation is available in 90 × 70 cm, 100 × 80 cm, 110 × 90 cm, 130 × 100 cm, 160 × 130 cm, 190 × 150 cm, 220 × 180 cm and 254 × 206 cm. A simple rule for Excavation: it should be about two thirds as wide as the furniture below it, with its centre about 150 cm from the floor.
How does Excavation arrive, and when?
We ship Excavation rolled in a sturdy tube, stretched on 2.5 cm deep wooden stretcher bars, or framed – you choose when you order. Stretching and framing of Excavation are done in our workshop in Slovenia. When a size of Excavation is in stock, it reaches you within 6 working days; a study of Excavation painted to order reaches you in 15 to 45 days.
Frequently asked questions about Excavation
Is Excavation a print?
No. Every brushstroke of Excavation is painted by hand on canvas, so the paint visibly stands up from the surface.
Can I order Excavation in a size that is not listed?
Yes. We also paint Excavation in a custom size; enter the width and height you want when you order Excavation.
Why is the painting called Excavation?
Because it looks as if pieces of bodies and things were being dug out of a thick layer of paint. Excavation was made by laying on and scraping off paint for a long time, like a real excavation.
Is Excavation a good gift?
Excavation is a gift for a lover of de Kooning, of abstract art or of bright, energetic walls. If you are unsure which size of Excavation to choose, give a gift voucher.
