Reddish Tennis 1935

Willi Baumeister made this painting, Reddish Tennis, with an eye for how shapes and colors bump into each other, kinda like players on a tennis court. The colors are pretty earthy, but then BAM! - you get these little zings of red that really grab your attention. Baumeister isn't trying to hide anything; you can see the texture of the surface, the way the paint sits, thick in places, thin in others. It's all part of the game. There’s this one part, right in the middle, where red meets black, and it's like two forces colliding. It's not just about what it looks like, but how it feels. It reminds me of Paul Klee, with his playful approach to form and color. It's like Baumeister is saying, "Hey, let's not take this too seriously, but let's also really look." It's a reminder that art doesn't have to give you all the answers; sometimes, it's more fun to just play along.