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Lot Essay
The woman's face depicted in the present lot is a magnification of the face of 'De receptioniste', a painting that Koch completed in 1974 and then deliberately destroyed because of the bad canvas and the difficulties he encountered with its size. Koch was only satisfied with the woman's face and made a close-up of it that resulted in the present lot. In contrast with the soft and young woman depicted in 'De receptioniste', the lady in 'Het signaal' is older and has a harder expression, emphasized by the sharp points of the urinal in the background. Koch depicted this urinal in his 1930 painting 'Nocturne' (fig. 1).
Erotism always played an important role in Koch's art. Prostitutes and transvestites were subjects he used to translate this into his paintings. In his own words, Koch typified the women in his fantasy portraits as 'min of meer "hard boiled" wijven' ('more or less "hard boiled" women'). The woman in 'Het signaal' has an undeniable erotic connotation, which is a recurring theme in Koch's oeuvre. She is standing in a street where the light of a lantern creates a whimsical shadow on her throat from the feathers on her head. With her black leather gloved fingers she gives a sign to her customer, telling him her price. However, she keeps a strong sense of dignity. It was Koch's intention to mystify the content of his paintings, leaving the spectator deliberately confused. All we see of this woman are her head, shoulders and the top part of two fingers.
In his art, Pyke Koch tried to express himself about the human psyche. Ambiguity is often the main component in his art and there is never just one interpretation applicable to his paintings. He created puzzling compositions which linger between Realism and Surrealism.
Erotism always played an important role in Koch's art. Prostitutes and transvestites were subjects he used to translate this into his paintings. In his own words, Koch typified the women in his fantasy portraits as 'min of meer "hard boiled" wijven' ('more or less "hard boiled" women'). The woman in 'Het signaal' has an undeniable erotic connotation, which is a recurring theme in Koch's oeuvre. She is standing in a street where the light of a lantern creates a whimsical shadow on her throat from the feathers on her head. With her black leather gloved fingers she gives a sign to her customer, telling him her price. However, she keeps a strong sense of dignity. It was Koch's intention to mystify the content of his paintings, leaving the spectator deliberately confused. All we see of this woman are her head, shoulders and the top part of two fingers.
In his art, Pyke Koch tried to express himself about the human psyche. Ambiguity is often the main component in his art and there is never just one interpretation applicable to his paintings. He created puzzling compositions which linger between Realism and Surrealism.