Thirty-fifth president, 1961–1963
Elaine de Kooning (1918–1989)
Oil on canvas, 1963
John F. Kennedy by Elaine de Kooning, 1963, oil on canvas, approximately eight feet, six inches high by three feet, eight inches wide.
This tall vertical portrait of John F. Kennedy stands out among the other likenesses in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition. Its vibrant colors grab the viewer’s attention. Emerald, lime, and jade greens abound in the lower part of the composition, while splashes of sky blue and rich gold accented with magenta and violet fill the top. From up close, the seated figure of the thirty-fifth president is almost lost in a network of loosely applied brushstrokes. Splatters and thick nubs of paint punctuate the surface. At first, it may appear as if Elaine de Kooning painted this portrait quickly and without much planning. But if we move farther away, it becomes clear that she has applied strokes of carefully chosen contrasting colors to define Kennedy’s form, so that the he emerges from this cacophony of expressionist brushstrokes.
At over eight feet tall, the portrait is the size of a high, narrow doorway. Kennedy, who wears a white shirt with a skinny tie and dark pants, fills the canvas. Since he is sitting down, this means that he is well over life size. As we look up at his face, this monumental figure’s gaze is particularly arresting because de Kooning has rendered the eyes in more detail than the rest of the painting. They are light blue with a hint of magenta, but from our vantage point several feet below, the hues mix to appear violet. Echoing the downward sweep of his eyes, a thick green stroke defines Kennedy’s hairline, whereas the rest of his hair is painted in gold and brown. The president’s cheeks and square jaw are defined in tans, pinks and greens, but his nose appears flattened and indistinct.
Perched on the edge of his chair, Kennedy angles his crossed legs to the right as he faces us directly. At the left, the top half of his arm is slightly cropped by the side of the canvas, and he rests that hand on his thigh. To support his twisting pose, he has extended his other arm, with the elbow pointed outwards and his forearm directed down to grip the arm of the chair. It appears as if he has just turned toward us. De Kooning has filled in the rectangular space between his arm and torso with a deep, dark green. It suggests the back of the chair but also contrasts with his white shirt and draws our attention to the sitter’s unnatural pose. By contrast, below the knees, his legs dissolve into a flurry of black, white, lavender, and dark green brushstrokes that hint at his dark socks and shoes. The bottom left and right corners of the canvas remain unpainted, apart from the artist’s abbreviated signature, which reads “E de K” in gray.
The portrait label reads as follows:
John F. Kennedy 1917–1963
Thirty-fifth president, 1961–1963
When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the country experienced a collective sense of grief that it had not known since the death of Abraham Lincoln. Many Americans found it hard to cope with the sudden loss of this youthful, energetic president whose speeches had inspired citizens to achieve high ideals. In his shortened tenure as president, Kennedy proposed landmark civil-rights legislation, created the Peace Corps, and promoted the goal of landing on the moon.
In foreign policy, his administration peacefully resolved a dramatic stand-off with the Soviet Union over the presence of missiles in Cuba, and he oversaw the buildup of the American presence in Vietnam.
Elaine de Kooning, known for her gestural portraits, held several informal sessions with him in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 1962 and January 1963. The artist was so moved by the president during these sittings that she went on to create dozens of drawings and paintings of him over the next ten months.
Elaine de Kooning (1918–1989)
Oil on canvas, 1963
