Mechano-Factura 1924

Henryk Berlewi made this painting called Mechano-Factura with what looks like oil paint and a steady hand. I love the way he breaks down the painting surface into separate tiles, like a little machine world. The matte surface in this painting really grabs my attention. It feels so controlled. Look at the way the paint is applied, each little square and rectangle is so clean, so precise. It’s like Berlewi is saying, "Here’s a world made of simple shapes, let's see what we can build." I'm thinking about that grid of grey squares in the lower right corner, and how it gives a sense of depth, like you could fall right into the painting. Berlewi’s use of a restricted colour palette reminds me of Mondrian, but where Mondrian is all about verticals and horizontals, Berlewi is more playful. It’s almost like he’s riffing on industrial design.