Composition 1975

Francis Bott created this ‘Composition’ with oil on canvas. Bott emerged from a post-war European context, where artists grappled with rebuilding a world shattered by conflict. This abstract image, composed of geometric shapes, suggests a fragmented reality, perhaps reflective of the social and political upheavals of the time. The predominantly blue hues could evoke a sense of melancholy or introspection, while the lone red triangle hints at disruption and a flicker of hope. Consider that Bott was associated with the École de Paris, a diverse group of artists working in Paris that resisted the totalizing claims of movements such as abstract expressionism. Understanding Bott's place in the École de Paris, researching exhibition histories, and reading period criticism will help to further illuminate the meaning of this work as a product of its unique time and place.