Cubist Composition 1920

David Kakabadzé made this Cubist Composition using oil paint, but when? We don't know! Look at the limited palette, mostly grays and browns. It makes me think about the way you can create so many variations from a few colors, like different flavors made from the same ingredients. And the forms! Squares and triangles overlapping to suggest depth, even though it's all flat. I’m drawn to the little white curlicue shape on the right. It's so ornate compared to the rest of the composition. It's like Kakabadzé wanted to show how different elements can coexist, even clash, within the same space. It brings to mind the work of Juan Gris, who also played with geometric forms and unexpected details. For me, this kind of painting is an invitation to play with seeing, without the pressure of having to know.