Untitled

Albert Eugene Gallatin, Untitled, 1936, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.24
Copied Albert Eugene Gallatin, Untitled, 1936, oil on canvas, 129 in. (30.522.9 cm) image: 118 in. (27.920.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.24

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Date
1936
Dimensions
129 in. (30.522.9 cm) image: 118 in. (27.920.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract — geometric
Object Number
1986.92.24

Artwork Description

This small oval image recalls the format of traditional miniature paintings but, instead of a portrait, shows an abstract composition of squares and rectangles. The curved border appears to contain the shapes within, as if they might drift apart on a larger canvas. Unlike many abstract artists who concentrated on the surface of the canvas, Albert Eugene Gallatin suggested a certain amount of depth by layering the colored squares, rectangles, and triangles so that the viewer’s eyes try to determine which shapes are on top of the “pile” and which are underneath.