In the Cafe (Woman with Cup) 1915

Olexandr Archipenko made "In the Cafe (Woman with Cup)" using paint and other material to build up the surface. I love how Archipenko is playing here, because it’s not just about what he's depicting, but how he's physically making it. The palette is so contained, like a dusky rose, with burgundy and charcoal. The whole thing pushes and pulls; it's a painting, but it's also a relief, the different planes really come forward. Look at the way the light falls on the curve of the figure’s neck, and those eye sockets, voids rather than solid forms. It reminds me a little of Picasso's cubist collages, but it's also totally its own thing. It's like Archipenko is saying, "Let's not just represent the world, let's rebuild it." And that, to me, is what art is all about: not answers, but new questions.