Komposition 1931

Otto Gustav Carlsund made this painting, Komposition, sometime in the early to mid twentieth century. What grabs me is the way Carlsund’s put down these graphic shapes with such careful precision. It’s all about arrangement, like he’s setting out to find the perfect placement for each form. The colors are quiet – browns, grays, creams – and they sit so calmly on the board. Look at that solid black rectangle, how it stands tall against the tan background. The paint is smooth, opaque, and flat. Nothing fussy, just clean, crisp edges. See how the shapes interact, almost like a little city of geometric forms. It’s all about balance, each shape playing off the others. It reminds me of other early modernists, like Sonia Delaunay, who were also exploring the relationship between color and form. But Carlsund keeps things very simple, stripping away all the unnecessary details to get to the essence of the composition. It's just shapes and colors, but they speak volumes.