Woman with Dark Hair

Jacob Kainen, Woman with Dark Hair, 1959, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Mary Jane Fisher, 1979.82
Copied Jacob Kainen, Woman with Dark Hair, 1959, oil on canvas, 4436 in. (111.991.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Mary Jane Fisher, 1979.82

Artwork Details

Title
Woman with Dark Hair
Artist
Date
1959
Dimensions
4436 in. (111.991.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Mary Jane Fisher
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract
  • Figure female — bust
Object Number
1979.82

Artwork Description

For several decades, Jacob Kainen held two careers: one as an artist and the other as a curator and research scholar for the Smithsonian Institution. After his retirement in 1970, Kainen devoted all of his time to painting. He had begun his career in New York City, where his friends included artists Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Arshile Gorky. In Woman with Dark Hair, Kainen used the energetic brushwork associated with abstract expressionism and bold dark blues, deep greens and reds to give the figure a sense of dominance with very little detail of her features.