Dance I 1917

This stained glass work, Dance I, by Theo van Doesburg is a joyful exploration of line, shape and colour, that fizzes with energy. It reminds us that art making is fundamentally a process of selection and decision-making, about what to include and what to leave out. Here, van Doesburg uses pure, flat colors contained within sharp, clean black lines. The primary colors of red, yellow, and blue are laid out next to each other without blending or shading. Look closely at the shapes, how they intersect and overlap, creating a dynamic composition that suggests movement and rhythm. My eye keeps going to those little red semi-circles, almost like punctuation marks, drawing the other forms together. You know, artists like Hilma af Klint were working with similar ideas around the same time, trying to capture invisible forces and spiritual energies through abstract forms. These artists were all part of a wider conversation about the power of abstraction to convey complex ideas and emotions. This piece isn’t trying to tell us one single thing, but opens us up to multiple interpretations.