Broken Circle 1992

"Broken Circle" by Richards Ruben uses oil on canvas to create a visually striking composition that blends the abstract with the suggestive. The artwork features a vibrant, almost acidic, green field disrupted by thick, dark blue-purple strokes that attempt to define a circular form. Ruben’s interplay of color and form invites us to consider the very nature of perception. The broken circle, far from being a simple geometric shape, becomes a site of deconstruction. The dark, heavy strokes contrast sharply with the bright, uniform background, challenging the viewer to reconcile the fragmented form with the implied wholeness. The composition hints at the semiotic idea that meaning is not inherent but constructed through difference and contrast. The broken circle symbolizes incompleteness, disrupting any sense of fixed, stable meaning. This piece embodies a tension between what is present and what is absent, a constant negotiation that reflects the broader philosophical inquiry into the nature of reality itself.