Provincetown Houses 1925

Virginia Berresford’s print presents a captivating Cubist vision of ‘Provincetown Houses’ that is rendered in shades of grey. At first glance, the composition appears as an arrangement of geometric forms. However, on closer inspection, these shapes resolve into houses, stairs, and rooftops. The artist plays with perspective, flattening space, which enhances the artwork's abstract qualities. Berresford uses stark contrasts in shading to define the structures, creating an almost palpable sense of depth. Berresford's print is a modernist interpretation of architecture that engages with semiotic theory. The fragmented and reassembled forms can be seen as a reflection of how modernism challenges fixed meanings and values, offering new ways of seeing and understanding the world. By destabilizing traditional representation, she invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of space and form. It is a fascinating interplay between representation and abstraction.