Abstraction

Rosalind Bengelsdorf, Abstraction, 1938, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.10
Copied Rosalind Bengelsdorf, Abstraction, 1938, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in. (91.5 x 61.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.10

Artwork Details

Title
Abstraction
Artist
Date
1938
Location
Dimensions
36 x 24 in. (91.5 x 61.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project — New York City
  • Abstract — geometric
Object Number
1986.92.10
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.92.10

Artwork Description

Rosalind Bengelsdorf believed that “energy and form are inseparable,” and created paintings that expressed her interest in physical science. Here, the round, cell-like shape at the bottom of the image contrasts with the rigid lines that divide the canvas. The bright primary colors and simple shapes express the artist’s wish to “tear . . . apart” nature into its basic forms and reconstruct the pieces into something new (Bengelsdorf, “The New Realism,” American Abstract Artists, 1938).