Mechano-Faktura Construction 1924

Henryk Berlewi made this Mechano-Faktura Construction. It looks like it's done in paint, but I wonder if it could be screen printed as well. Either way, it’s a composition of pure shapes: squares, circles, stripes, and arcs. The colors are simple: black, red, and a pale cream ground. But look at the way those stripes of red butt up against that quarter circle of black lines. It's so tight and controlled. The surface looks flat and smooth, no visible brushstrokes, giving the whole piece a clean, industrial feel. It's almost like looking at a blueprint. And that red circle at the bottom, does it hold the whole thing together? It’s interesting to compare Berlewi to other Constructivists like El Lissitzky. Both are interested in how geometric abstraction can speak to new forms of social and political organization. But Berlewi has a playful side, you know? It doesn’t take itself too seriously. It leaves room for possibility.