Composition abstraite 1931

Georges Valmier made this painting with oil on canvas, deploying simple geometric shapes and smooth surfaces to build a dynamic composition. Looking at the solid blocks of color and contrasting linear elements, it seems Valmier was thinking about how to make a painting as precise and clean as possible, and it seems the Cubists were on his mind. It makes me wonder what he might have been like! Did he listen to music while he painted? Was he a methodical painter, making studies before starting on the final piece? Or was he more spontaneous, letting the painting evolve organically? There's something about that black line that makes me want to reach out and touch it. It reminds me of Léger’s and Picasso’s clean lines and forms. The painting has a sense of humor, but it's also very controlled, very precise. Valmier is in conversation with other artists. And that's what it's all about, right? We're all just riffing off each other, trying to make something new.