The Fourteenth of July 1914

Roger de La Fresnaye’s “The Fourteenth of July” is a painting of flat, geometric shapes of pale yellow, pink, blue, and orange. Imagine the artist building up this composition piece by piece, color block by color block, shifting forms until a scene emerges. You get the sense de La Fresnaye wasn't trying to replicate reality, but rather suggest it, constructing a world of pure, simplified forms. What would it have been like to stand in front of the canvas, brush in hand, deciding where each color should go? The figures are like mannequins or chess pieces, composed of flattened planes with their cool detachment, while the French flags add a celebratory note. It reminds me of the work of Léger or Gris, where objects are broken down into their essential forms. Artists are constantly in dialogue, riffing off one another’s ideas. Painting is a process of discovery, full of endless possibility.