arshile gorky, 1947 | oil and ink on canvas | 129x96.5 | though the painting appears spontaneous with its lyrical assortment of odd organic shapes, gorky actually made a number of studies for it, exploring over and over again the same fluid biomorphic forms | these suggest narratives of sexuality and procreation | the attenuated shapes that emerge from the luminous ocher background indeed appear on the verge of metamorphosis | whitney museum of american art, new york
