Vortex, space, form 1914

Giacomo Balla, sometime in the early 20th century, made this painting, Vortex, space, form with oil on canvas. The painting has got these swooping lines that kinda remind me of propellers or maybe some kind of futuristic flower. Balla was really into capturing movement and energy, and you can see that in the way he's layered these translucent forms, one over the other. The colors are muted, mostly greys and browns, but then you get these pops of orange that give it a little zing. Look at how the lines sort of fade in and out, like they're not quite solid. That's what I love about painting, that you can suggest things without having to spell everything out. It's like he's trying to show us what it feels like to be in motion, rather than just what it looks like. You can feel the influence of other early abstractionists like Kupka, who were also thinking about dynamism, rhythm and movement.