Buildings 1930

Charles Demuth made this painting of buildings in a factory with flat planes of colour, and some pretty strong diagonals. It looks like a quiet, contemplative, early morning scene. I wonder what Demuth was thinking as he carefully filled these shapes with red, and grey, and pale yellow. Maybe he was thinking about Cezanne - that sense of form, simplified, but built up with colour. Or maybe he was thinking of the precisionists, those cool cats who were painting factories, bridges, and skyscrapers in this country with such loving attention to detail and design. Look at that red - so bright, so primary, it practically vibrates against the whiteness of the sky. And the way those diagonal lines cut through the composition, creating a sense of depth and movement. Painting is amazing because it's like artists are having a conversation with each other across time. One artist sees what another artist did, and then they add something new. It's this amazing exchange of ideas.