A blast of artistic energy at the Whitney

I was lucky enough to visit the Whitney last week. I got to see the biennial - people have panned it this time, but I enjoyed it. Especially works by Eric N. Mack and Jennifer Packer. I think they both had interesting things to say about symbols. But the art that really fired me up on this visit was from the past. The energy of work done in the 1960's by Joan Mitchell and Willem de Kooning pushes through the decades. When I look at these two paintings I can so easily imagine the artist in the act of making the work. Both of these paintings look like they were made in one session. The paintings are great examples of all things coming together at once - the idea, the experience, the timing, the materials and the knowledge of what to put in and when to stop. Perfect snapshots of the artist's perception of the subject and the physical manifestation of that perception appearing on canvas.

Willem de Kooning: Door to the River