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, 3624 in. (91.561.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.10

Artwork Details

Title
Abstraction
Date
1938
Dimensions
3624 in. (91.561.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract — geometric
  • New Deal — Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project — New York City
Object Number
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).