Oval Construction, 1925
Wood, plywood, nails, and paint, 45 7/8 x 29 1/2 x 5 3/8 in. (116.5 x 75 x 13.6 cm)
Gift of Katherine Dreier to Collection Société Anonyme
1948.210
©2004 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Oval Construction dates from the period of Schwitters's association with the Berlin Dadaists, when he was one of the foremost practitioners of collage in the European avant-garde. During this time he made a number of painted reliefs using simple geometric elements sparsely arranged on a plain ground. This particular work is unusual in Schwitters's oeuvre because of its oval shape and its relatively large size compared to his usual practice of making smaller, densely packed, rectangular collages and assemblages. In this relief, the individual elements stand out from one another as discrete entities, stressing a distinct figure-ground relationship, as can be seen in the black circle that rests cleanly on the blue background. Oval Construction manifests Schwitters's intention to create new, boldly abstract yet poetic visual forms out of the detritus of modern life.
For more information on the Société Anonyme Collection, please visit http://artgallery.yale.edu/socanon.
 |
 |
 |