Rainbow 1892

Theo van Rysselberghe created "Rainbow" using pointillism, a painting technique rooted in industrial advances of the late 19th century. The systematic application of paint, broken down into tiny dots, wasn't just an aesthetic choice, but a reflection of the scientific and industrial spirit of the time. Pointillism emerged as chemistry advanced, granting artists access to a wider array of stable, premixed pigments available in tubes, enabling them to work with a precise, almost mechanical application. Consider how each dot requires individual placement, a labor-intensive process which, in its way, echoes the repetitive tasks performed by workers in factories. The even distribution of these dots creates a shimmering effect, but it also creates a sense of detachment, flattening the scene into an arrangement of pure color. This abstraction, born from industrial precision, invites us to reconsider our relationship with labor and nature, blurring the lines between the hand-made and the machine-made.