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
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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
- 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).