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This book follows a very cogent pattern, describing the works of art to be explored, previous attempts to understand them psychoanalytically, the early years of the artist, and a summary of psychoanalytic theory applied to these works of art that contribute to an understanding of the artist's inner life. This is a scholarly work. Taylor writes in his usual lucid and engaging manner. Illustrations of de Kooning's work are helpfully included. In every chapter Taylor presents his information and draws his conclusions in a logical and convincing manner, appearing interested in his subject and not tendentious in his conclusions. He does not appear to have an axe to grind.
Taylor initially establishes his credentials, describing his training and experience in different locations, his three personal analyses with psychoanalysts who had different theoretical orientations, and his experience of treating many creative individuals. He indicates that the broad range of psychoanalytic theories to which he was exposed helped prevent him from becoming wedded to any single psychoanalytic school of thought.
Taylor focuses on de Kooning's series of paintings of women completed in the 1950s. In chapter 1, “Paintings on the Theme of the Woman,” Taylor provides a generous introduction to and background for de Kooning's paintings on the theme of the woman, including the critical response to them. The reader who
is not interested in the history of the reception of these paintings may become impatient for Taylor's own thoughts.
In chapter 2, “Searching for Meanings in the ‘Woman Paintings:‘ The Psychoanalytic Interpretations of Non-Clinician Scholars,” Taylor employs psychoanalytic concepts to explore the meaning of the Woman paintings. Taylor's perspective differs from earlier Jungian and Freudian perspectives presented by art critics and historians. My additions to Taylor's psychoanalytic observations are relatively minor. For example, when he described Klein's notion of the paranoid-sch