Untitled 1931

This untitled painting by Auguste Herbin is a puzzle of geometric shapes and muted tones, seemingly constructed with blocks of color. It's as if Herbin approached the canvas not with a brush, but with a carpenter's square, carefully piecing together the human form. Look at the face—the way the red and white areas carve out a profile. It's almost like a mask, or a Cubist portrait distilled to its most essential elements. The paint is smooth, and each color is clearly delineated, which adds to the sense of precision and order. The shapes interlock like pieces of a jigsaw. I love how the dark contour wraps around the figure, anchoring the composition. It reminds me a little of Fernand Léger, who also had a thing for simplifying forms and emphasizing the architectural quality of painting. Ultimately, art is a conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time and space. We’re all borrowing, stealing, and riffing off each other's ideas.