Study for a Painting 1938

This small collage, "Study for a Painting", was made by Ad Reinhardt, sometime in the 1930s, and it is made of cut and pasted paper on cardboard. Emerging from the Depression era, Reinhardt was an artist deeply engaged with the social and political issues of his time, particularly how art could function as a form of social critique. His journey took him through various styles, from representational work influenced by social realism to pure abstraction. Reinhardt was interested in the ways in which abstraction could strip away the superficial and reveal deeper truths. He believed that art should be autonomous and separate from the everyday world. Yet, even in this non-objective space, he engages with form, space, and color, prompting viewers to consider their own perceptions and emotional responses. Reinhardt once said, "The one thing to say about geometry is that geometry is not the only thing!" Perhaps this playfulness embodies the spirit of innovation that Reinhardt brought to the art world, challenging us to see beyond the surface.