Region 45s 0e

Creative Rationale

Over the Southern Ocean at 45 degrees south latitude on the Prime Meridian, this location sits in the harsh waters between South Africa and Antarctica, where fierce westerly winds known as the Roaring Forties create some of the most turbulent seas on Earth. The moderate wind speed of 11.7 m/s from the northwest drives aggressive diagonal slashes across the composition, while the high pressure system creates spatial compression that forces gestural forms to press violently against the picture plane. The cold temperature anomaly strips away warm flesh tones in favor of de Kooning's urban palette of greys and blacks, punctuated by flashes of cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson that fight through the atmospheric violence.