Untitled (Flush left)

For an abstract expressionist like de Kooning, painting was the ultimate medium. His work was about process, gesture, thick impasto and spontaneity. In de Kooning’s brief experimentation with lithography he found that many of these qualities were also possible in the print medium. His lithographs also show that he became very involved in the process, and in its unique characteristics. One particularly unusual element in this print is the textured area. De Kooning may have soaked a piece of cloth in the tusche (greasy liquid) and pressed it against the transfer paper thus capturing the texture as well as the folds that can be seen in the upper center.