Masts 1919

Charles Demuth’s ‘Masts’ is a painting of geometric forms and subdued colors, probably made with oil and pencil, and it's a puzzle that invites you to piece together the scene. The interplay of lines and shapes creates a sense of depth, but it's not the kind of depth you fall into. It’s more like a stage set, where the buildings and masts are props in a play. I love how the red-brown chimney shoots up like a punctuation mark, breaking up the white space of the canvas. It grounds the composition, but also adds a touch of the unexpected. This piece reminds me a bit of the early Cubist landscapes by Picasso or Braque, where they were breaking down objects into their basic forms. But Demuth adds his own spin, softening the edges and bringing a uniquely American sensibility to the canvas. It's an invitation to look again, and again, and to find your own way through the maze.