Night

The forms of Night are rich with suggestion. Some vaguely resemble human anatomy, while others recall architecture. These ambiguous shapes seem to float and jostle on the canvas. Night belongs to a series of abstract black-and-white paintings--inspired by de Kooning's late-night walks in New York--that express the spirit and texture of the modern metropolis. The broken brushwork and areas of scraping and reworking suggest the nervous energy of urban life--or the inner turmoil of the artist. De Kooning was one of the most emotionally expressive Abstract Expressionists and an important influence on younger gestural painters.