Figural Composition #2

George McNeil, Figural Composition #2, 1932, oil on paper mounted on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.68
Copied George McNeil, Figural Composition #2, 1932, oil on paper mounted on wood, sheet and mount: 25 x 19 in. (63.5 x 48.3 cm.) mount: 25 x 19 in. (63.5 x 48.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.68

Artwork Details

Title
Figural Composition #2
Artist
Date
1932
Location
Dimensions
sheet and mount: 25 x 19 in. (63.5 x 48.3 cm.) mount: 25 x 19 in. (63.5 x 48.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paper mounted on wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1986.92.68
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.92.68

Artwork Description

George McNeil created this image while studying with Hans Hofmann at the Art Students League. He recalled that Hofmann taught him to emphasize the two dimensions of the canvas even as he evoked the three dimensions of the world. (George McNeil, Expressionism, Exhibition Catalogue, 1984) Here, the vague form of a seated figure emerges from a pattern of rectangles, and the bright colors and thick layers of paint create a vibrant surface over the entire canvas.