Central Asia 45n 90e

Creative Rationale

Over the remote steppes of central Kazakhstan, where extreme continental conditions create a harsh landscape of temperature extremes, the atmospheric data reveals an intensely cold environment with moderate winds and bone-dry air. The brutal cold of 35.6 K drives a palette dominated by the greys, blacks, and icy whites of de Kooning's urban period, while the moderate 3.6 m/s wind creates diagonal slashing marks cutting across the canvas. The extremely low pressure compresses forms aggressively against the picture plane, creating a claustrophobic energy of colliding paint masses.