It conveys an identity to the subject of the work. Graham's work is a far softer looking painting, as it is painted in oil, with casein, charcoal, chalk, pencil, pen and ink on Masonite rather than pure, flat oil on canvas. It showcases "Celia," a woman with a classically hourglass figure and long, soft hair against a black background more reminiscent of a 19th century or classical nude than a modernist depiction of a woman, even though the painting was created at the same time as "Woman." Celia is not nude; rather she wears a thin and gauzy dress that emphasizes her shape. The Graham woman's skin is a realistic peach shade, with varying shades of pink and darker shadings around the eyes, although her perfectly styled hair is somewhat cloud-like in shape, without a differentiation of texture. The flat, black background assures that the viewer's focus is on the woman alone and nothing else. But black is a cool tone, and the cool compliments the cool pinks of the woman's skin, dark hair, and white dress, unlike the contrasts between primary warm and cool colors in "Woman" that created a clash or lack of harmony between the colors used, and the shapes of the figure in the foreground and the room in the background. "Celia" is a work of balance and symmetry, down to Celia's figure.

The colors of the woman's skin and her nearly transparent bodice, her realistically non-pneumatic breasts, show a sympathetic, warm attitude to "Celia" on the part of the artist, as if the artist sees the woman as something that is not merely a subject of art. This shines...

The picture shows Celia as clearly poised, as she leans against something in a rather stiff manner and gazes directly at the viewer with a gentle, calm gaze.
The lines of the work are soft, showing an appreciation for the woman's femininity in a natural and unforced manner. The focus of the painting is completely on the woman, not on the artist's composition of the space in terms of line and color. "Celia" is clearly a woman, not a jumble of colors. Only the angularity of the woman's corset and the nearby chest of drawers on which she leans suggests that the work was arranged in any degree. The overall impression of the work is one of affection for the feminine, rather displeasure. There is clear sensual appreciation on the part of the artist, given the woman's slightly exposed breasts and her mature figure, but this sensual appreciation is not used to demean her. This work seems reminiscent of some of Picasso's earliest works, like his rose period. It seems like an appreciative painting, although of someone that the artist admires from afar, rather than a woman he knows well.

Works Cited

De Kooning, Willem. http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/art/spacer.gif

Woman."1944. 13 Jun 2007.

A ttp:/ / www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=21&viewmode=0&item=1984%2E613%2E2#a

Graham, John. "Celia." 1944. 13 Jun 2007. http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=21&viewmode=0&item=68%2E185#a