Untitled 1932

This untitled painting was made by Le Corbusier, using oil on canvas. The colors are so considered, almost like musical notes, and the process feels like a playful excavation. Corbu put down a line, then dug into it, and so on. I see the texture of the canvas showing through in places, which gives it a rough-hewn feel. There’s also a lot of light and dark contrast, which creates a kind of tension. I love how Corbu uses color to define the shapes of the figures, but also to flatten them out at the same time. Take the corset shape, for example: the red and blue create a sense of depth, but the overall effect is still very abstract. This makes me think of Picasso who was also trying to find new ways of representing the human form. Ultimately, this piece is all about ambiguity. There’s no right or wrong way to see it, and that’s what makes it so exciting.