— Willem de Kooning Woman and Bicycle 1952-3
Woman and bicycle—no bicycle I can see—
just as there’s no end in sight
to this lockdown. I set my sights
on midsummer, then early fall, knowing
well more deaths will follow, knowing
it’s wrong to rush any relaxation
of vigilance. de Kooning’s subject is the product of relaxation,
smile doubled, breasts spreading in contrary directions.
Her purported bike looks unready to take direction—
the merest hint of frame and tires. How exuberantly
she stands amidst a chaos of surfaces exuberantly
spilling colors. Her Cheshire cat grin delights
in destruction. I grin too at threat, which delights
this fleshy virago, this woman with no bicycle I can see.
Whitney Museum
Read the Museums | Read the Art | Read the Contributors | Contributor Bios