Alex Katz’s woodcut “Red Hat Ada” is a captivating piece that exemplifies his minimalist yet expressive style. The artwork features his wife, Ada, a recurring subject in Katz’s oeuvre, known for her poised and elegant demeanor. In this woodcut, Ada is depicted wearing a striking red hat, which becomes the focal point of the composition. The hat, with its vibrant hue and broad brim, contrasts sharply with the subdued palette of her clothing and the background, drawing immediate attention to her face and the hat itself.

Katz’s use of flat, bold colors and clean lines reflects his mastery of simplification, stripping away unnecessary details to focus on the essence of the subject. The red hat, while a simple accessory, adds a dynamic element to the portrait, imbuing it with a sense of personality and flair. The artist’s approach highlights Ada’s features with subtlety, emphasizing her serene expression and the gentle contours of her face.

The artwork is not just a portrait but also a study in color and form, showcasing Katz’s ability to capture the essence of his subject with minimalistic yet powerful visual language. “Red Hat Ada” stands out as a testament to Katz’s skill in combining everyday moments with a modernist sensibility, celebrating both the individual and the aesthetic qualities of his art.

“Red Hat Ada” is a woodcut print created by Alex Katz, an American artist renowned for his distinctive approach to portraiture and landscapes. This particular piece is part of Katz’s ongoing series of portraits featuring his wife, Ada, who has been a central muse in his work for over six decades. Ada is often depicted with a serene, composed expression, embodying a sense of timeless elegance that has become a hallmark of Katz’s style.

In “Red Hat Ada,” Katz employs his signature technique of flattening the image and using broad, flat areas of color. This technique draws from influences in both abstract expressionism and pop art, yet Katz’s work remains distinct in its commitment to capturing a realistic, yet stylized essence of his subjects. The red hat in this woodcut not only serves as a visual anchor but also adds a bold, contemporary twist to the traditional portrait format.

The choice of medium—woodcut—adds another layer of texture and depth to the piece. Woodcut, a form of relief printing, allows for sharp contrasts and crisp edges, which Katz uses to emphasize the simplicity and clarity of his composition. This technique also lends a handcrafted quality to the work, contrasting with the often sleek and polished appearance of his paintings.

“Red Hat Ada” is notable not just for its aesthetic qualities but also for its role in Katz’s exploration of repetition and variation within his work. By repeatedly portraying Ada in different settings, styles, and mediums, Katz examines the nuances of her persona and the evolving nature of their relationship. This particular piece captures a moment of quiet elegance, with the red hat serving as a vibrant symbol of individuality and style.

Overall, “Red Hat Ada” is a striking example of Katz’s ability to blend simplicity with sophistication, creating portraits that are both modern and timeless. The work reflects his deep engagement with his subject, as well as his ongoing dialogue with the history of portraiture and the potential of contemporary art.

In the early 1960s, Alex Katz was a relatively unknown figure in the art world. At a time when abstract expressionism dominated, Katz’s large-scale, flat paintings were often dismissed as overly simplistic. However, today, Katz is celebrated as one of the pioneers of Pop Art. Even at the age of 87, he continues to create and exhibit his work in galleries and museums around the world, always accompanied by his wife and muse, Ada.

During a visit to Spain, where Katz was showcasing his solo exhibition “Red Hat” at Galería Javier López, he reflected on the evolution of his career and his approach to art. Katz explained that his process begins with an initial sketch, for which his subjects pose briefly. Afterward, he works independently, enlarging the sketch, transferring it onto the canvas using small holes and brown pigments, and then refining the drawing with a brush. This process involves a transition from a conscious effort during the drawing phase to an almost unconscious state while painting, where the act of creation becomes instinctual, much like riding a bicycle.

Katz emphasized that he does not direct his subjects to maintain a specific pose. Instead, he allows them to move and interact naturally while he paints. He believes that capturing a moment in time, rather than a static image, is essential for creating a true portrait. His technique involves combining various moments within a single painting, which may include details such as a subject’s eyes even as they shift their gaze.

Interestingly, Katz noted that he does not always have a close personal relationship with his subjects, as his goal is not to convey the individual’s personality, but rather to capture the essence of the time period they represent. This focus on the broader context and what a person symbolizes allows Katz’s work to convey the zeitgeist of the era in which it was created.

Katz also discussed how different audiences perceive his work. He recognizes that painters, dealers, museum professionals, writers, and the general public all see different aspects in his paintings. Painters might focus on the technical aspects, dealers on the potential for sale, and museum professionals on preservation, while writers interpret the narrative and the general public simply sees an image.

Despite these varied perspectives, Katz does not consciously try to please all these audiences. His primary focus remains on capturing the reality in front of him, rather than catering to different expectations. Reflecting on his career, he admitted that his early work did not enjoy commercial success, largely because it diverged from the prevailing abstract expressionist movement. His realistic paintings, which seemed new and unfinished to traditional realist painters, were often misunderstood or undervalued by the art community.

A recurring theme in Katz’s work is his portrayal of women, which stems from his fascination with beauty—specifically, an abstract idea of beauty that he finds in the human face. This appreciation for physiognomy was something he honed during his time at Cooper Union, where he initially struggled with live drawing but eventually developed his skills through persistent practice, even drawing people on the subway.

Katz’s interest in fashion also plays a significant role in his art. He sees fashion as a reflection of the present, akin to art, where there is no true progress but rather a continuous cycle of change. This belief influences how he captures his subjects, who often wear whatever they like, revealing their identities through their clothing and appearance. Katz’s engagement with fashion extended beyond his paintings; he even modeled for advertisements, including campaigns for Barney’s and a watch brand.

Although Katz occasionally uses photographs as a reference, he prefers to work directly from life. He believes that while photographs can capture a moment, they are always slightly in the past, whereas a painting can exist in the present tense, bridging the gap between what is seen and what is known. This philosophy underpins Katz’s unique approach to portraiture, where the goal is to create a work that is both a true representation of the moment and a timeless piece of art.

Alex Katz / Pioneer of Pop Art

Alex Katz is especially famous for his figurative paintings: The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, he was born in New York in 1927. As a pioneer of Pop Art, he always concentrated on the essentials and early on he began to explore simplified forms and contrasting color compositions. His art is diverse, but always has beauty as its central theme. The artist can now look back on more than 200 solo and around 500 group exhibitions; his diverse works are part of over 100 collections worldwide. Alex Katz lives and works in New York and Maine.