Composition

Albert Eugene Gallatin rarely titled his paintings, preferring instead to give them just a number and a date. By doing this, he recorded the progress of his work in the same way a scientist might document a series of experiments. Composition evokes a still life of unidentifiable objects arranged on an oval tabletop. Gallatin overlapped simple shapes and delicate lines to suggest a precarious balance between the forms, as if one nudge might cause the entire structure to topple. The small size of the canvas and muted palette focus our attention on the patterns created by the overlapping shapes.