Composition géométrique 1925

Otto Gustav Carlsund made this painting, Composition Géométrique, sometime in the early to mid 20th Century, using oil on canvas. The colours here are so matter of fact, aren't they? The ochre, the reds and blues, so confidently applied, no messing around with subtle tones, and yet it's playful! Look at the surface of the paint, it's pretty flat, no impasto here, so it’s all about the relationships between the colours and shapes. There's a kind of urban landscape hinted at, but it's more like a set of building blocks. I love how the simple rose motifs add a touch of whimsy to the otherwise hard-edged composition. The artist uses such simple pictorial elements to hint at a feeling, rather than describe a place. Carlsund was part of a movement called Concrete Art, which aimed to create art that was purely abstract. It reminds me of some of Stuart Davis’s work, where the everyday world is transformed into a joyous visual language, using strong colour and abstracted forms. But ultimately this is Carlsund's world, a unique way of seeing.