Forms 1918

This painting, Forms, by Patrick Henry Bruce, is all about shape, color, and the push-and-pull of the painting process itself. It’s not about depicting reality; it's about building something new, a world of pure form. Look how Bruce lays down the paint, each color contained in these outlined shapes. The surfaces are smooth, the colors flat, but together they create a sense of depth. The composition is like a puzzle, with each shape bumping up against another, creating tension. It's not trying to be anything but paint on canvas; its artifice is its strength. The more you look at this painting, the more you can imagine the artist rearranging these shapes, pushing and pulling them until they found the perfect balance. He’s dancing with Matisse, who he studied with, but there’s an American sensibility at play here too: an interest in machines, and industry, and newness. It shows how art is a constant conversation, an ongoing search for new ways of seeing.