Cubism and Geometric Abstraction - Assignment Example

Cubism and Geometric ion (20th Century Art History The Bicycle Race by Lyonel Feininger The given picture is Lyonel Feininger’s The Bicycle Race, which attracted great mass attention as a work in Cubism. It is a work that makes one clearly understands what Cubism is and the peculiarities of this movement. The artist has skillfully used his talent that even an ordinary viewer can identify the effective use of different colors and geometrical forms. Feininger’s picture mainly consists of triangles which form the outline figure of the bicycle racers.

Along with triangles, squires and circles also have been used. The cave and convex— the most important feature of Cubism, has expertly utilized in this picture and it figures out the muscular frame of the racers. The caps of the racers have been portrayed with pyramid structure and from the top to the bottom, the artist keeps the pace. The grey background provides the picture more sharpness and a clear layout. 2. Homage to the Square: With Rays, 1959 by Josef Albers (American, born Germany, 1888–1976) Homage to the Square: With Rays can aptly be included in Geometrical Abstraction—the 20th century innovation in art; especially in drawing.

One can find its similarity with Feininger’s The Bicycle Race in which the artist used different geometrical forms. The given picture is arranged with some squires appearing to be overlapping or nested with one another. The picture clearly shows the effects of the nearby colors on one another. The main peculiarity of the picture is that the grey squire at the center makes the viewer moves his focus from the center. Regarding the pictures taken for the present study, one can infer that both the pictures show similarities by keeping the features of the age.

Works cited: Albers, Josef. "Homage to the Square: With Rays, "The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 8 Oct 2009 . Lyonel , Feininger . "The Bicycle Race". National Gallery of Art. 8 Oct 2009 .