Mushton Shlushley, the Lyric Poet and Aestheticurean c. 1922

Edward Steichen’s Mushton Shlushley, the Lyric Poet and Aestheticurean, is a gouache on paper. Notice the smooth, matte finish of the paint, which gives the composition a graphic quality. The piece is rendered with flat, geometric shapes in a palette of blue, grey, black, green, red, and purple. Each block of color is meticulously applied, creating crisp edges and a sense of precision. These techniques have imbued the artwork with a social and cultural significance, where the simplicity of form reflects the avant-garde’s search for essential truths. Steichen, though known for his photography, engages here with the language of early abstraction, alongside design. The shapes create a visual harmony and balance, achieved through a patient, methodical process of applying the gouache in layers. Understanding this work through its materials, making, and context challenges distinctions between fine art and craft, highlighting the artist's engagement with the visual language and the construction of form.