The Boogie Woogie of Broadway
The original name for the style Mondrian developed was De Stijl. But over time, he became so dedicated to his theory of distillation that he alienated the other members of De Stijl, and started a new style called Neo-Plasticism. The only real differences between the two are that Neo-Plasticism has fewer colors and no diagonal lines. That may seem petty, but to Mondrian purity was the key to universality. And yet despite his strict adherence to these self-imposed limitations, Mondrian found ways to continually make his paintings more interesting. One of the most inspiring times in his life came in 1940, when he was 68 years old, when he moved to New York. To Mondrian, New York epitomized the modern city. He was moved by the energy of jazz music and the seemingly endless pulse of life that moved through the streets. He also admired the fact that unlike other cities in which he had lived, like Paris and London, New York was laid out on a grid that eerily resembled that of his own paintings.
In 1942, Mondrian finished a painting titled “New York City,” in which the familiar black lines of his past compositions were replaced with red, yellow, and blue lines. This seemingly subtle change imbued the work with a thrilling new energy. “Broadway Boogie Woogie” took that idea even farther, inserting squares and rectangles within the lines, and filling squares and rectangles with smaller squares and rectangles. The essential elements of Neo-Plasticism are retained, but also expanded upon. One year after finishing “Broadway Boogie Woogie,” Mondrian died. When he passed he was in the midst of working on another masterpiece, this one titled “Victory Boogie Woogie” in honor of the end of World War II. As with some of his other paintings, this last canvas is tilted 90 degrees. Unfinished at the time of his death, it still contains bits of tape, and the colors are also not pure, nor are the edges of the lines and shapes precise. The surface is quite painterly. Its imprecision offers a rare glimpse into the humanity of Mondrian. It also makes “Broadway Boogie Woogie” the last important work the master completed in his lifetime, and the fullest manifestation of his oft-stated maxims, that “Who makes things move also creates rest,” and, “That which aesthetically is brought to rest is art.”
The City That Never Sleeps
Mondrian’s decision to focus on Broadway as the subject of his artwork speaks to the significance of New York City in the early 20th century. This bustling metropolitan center, often referred to as the “city that never sleeps,” was seen as a symbol of progress, dynamism, and modernity. In “Broadway Boogie Woogie,” Mondrian captures the essence of the city with its grid-like layout of streets, the flow of traffic, and the buzzing energy of the pedestrians. The composition expresses the constant movement and activity associated with New York, making it a visual representation of the city’s spirit.
The Influence of Jazz
One of the most compelling aspects of “Broadway Boogie Woogie” is its strong connection to the music of the time, particularly jazz. Mondrian was greatly influenced by the syncopated rhythms, improvisation, and energy of jazz music, which is evident in the dynamic composition of his artwork. By using his signature grid of primary colors and intersecting lines, Mondrian created a visual representation of the vibrant, spontaneous, and pulsating nature of jazz. The title itself, “Broadway Boogie Woogie,” is a nod to the popular music style of the era, further emphasizing the strong link between music and art in this masterpiece.
Related Artworks
- Broadway Boogie Woogie is not Mondrian’s only painting devoted to music and dance. This passion is also present in three other works: Fox-Trot A (1930), Fox-Trot B (1929), and Victory Boogie-Woogie (1943/44, unfinished).
- Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow realized in 1930 exemplifies the Neoplasticism style for which Piet Mondrian is best known. It represents a grid formed by thick, sharp black lines on a white background, creating a series of squares and rectangles, some painted in yellow, red, and blue. Mondrian’s rigid geometric compositions were intended to represent the immutable structure of reality beyond appearances.
Описание и анализ
Покинув Париж, Мондриан прибыл в Нью-Йорк на 3 октября 1940 г.. Как и в Париже, Мондриан побелил свои мастерские, а затем разместил на стенах цветные прямоугольники и квадраты, которые он расположил как этюды ритмов и форм.
В Нью-Йорке Мондриан ретушировал некоторые картины, которые он привез из Парижа (где он жил с 1938 года), и выполнил свои последние работы, знаменующие глубокие преобразования. Это Нью-Йорк I (1940-1942, Национальный музей современного искусства , Париж), Нью-Йорк II (1941, Дюссельдорф , Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen), Нью-Йорк, Нью-Йорк (1941, незаконченный. Коллекция в частности), Бродвейский буги-вуги и победа в стиле буги-вуги (1942-1944, незаконченный. Гаага , Gemeentemuseum ).
В 1930-х годах в Париже , а затем в Лондоне, Мондриан развился. Есть фотография, сделанная в его парижской мастерской околоОктябрь 1933 г., на которой художник позирует в костюме рядом с двумя недавними полотнами на мольберте, что предвещает грядущие перемены. Выше « Композиция в ромбе с четырьмя желтыми линиями» (80 × 80 см . Гаага, Gemeentemuseum) впервые показаны линии, нарисованные не черным цветом. Ниже Композиция с цветным квадратом (Гаага, Gemeentemuseum) имеет сдвоенные линии.
С 1935 года красный цвет стал преобладающим в его работах, в то же время он начал умножать черные линии, подчеркивая важность сетки. В Нью-Йорке, предположительно под влиянием города, он внес еще одно серьезное изменение: устранение черного
Например, город Нью-Йорк I состоит только из желтых (большинство), синих и красных линий, которые пересекаются с эффектом плетения. New York City II демонстрирует еще одно важное изменение: использование цветных клейких лент, которые облегчили его работу. Он разместил их и двигал, пока не добился нужного ему ритма.
Мы можем добавить, что, несмотря на радикальную абстракцию своих картин, Мондриан всегда очень сильно интересовался городскими структурами, современной музыкой и танцами (в частности, Чарльстоном 1920-х годов ).
Все эти черты можно найти в бродвейском буги-вуги . Картина представляет собой довольно плотную (но нерегулярную) сетку из желтых линий, перемежаемых небольшими красными, синими и серыми квадратами на белом фоне, что придает картине бешеный ритм. Если некоторые поверхности, созданные пересечением линий, остаются пустыми (как на всех картинах Мондриана), некоторые, наоборот, получают прямоугольники, большинство из которых состоит из квадратов или прямоугольников разных цветов, что придает картине необычайно необычный вид. игривый и моложавый вид. Если бы Мондриан не умер вскоре после этого, все указывает на то, что это обновление продолжилось бы, о чем свидетельствует его последняя незаконченная картина « Победа буги-вуги» , которая идет еще дальше в фрагментации линий.
Альфред Барр, директор MoMA, в 1943 году написал в досье картины: «Даже в Европе Мондриан любил американскую танцевальную музыку. Тема и отрывистый ритм самых важных из его последних работ можно рассматривать как наиболее примечательную и сложную дань семидесятилетнего художника последним достижениям в области свинга. Асимметричные прямоугольники бродвейского буги-вуги соответствуют синкопированной мелодии буги-вуги, мелкие прерывистые линии перекликаются с каскадами ломаных аккордов ритмической базы ». Мы можем добавить, что, конечно, план шахматной доски Нью-Йорка также нашел отклик у художника, для которого мотив сетки всегда имел большое значение.
В более позднем исследовании Гарри Купер проливает дополнительный свет на важность буги-вуги для эволюции Мондриана в Нью-Йорке. Он, в частности, пишет, что эта музыка отличается слиянием левой руки (гармония) и правой руки (мелодия) пианиста
По словам Купера, буги-вуги, таким образом, повели бы Мондриана на путь значительных изменений: двойственность его предыдущих картин (которые все еще можно найти в Нью-Йорке I и II ), преуспела бы в бродвейском буги-вуги. — Woogie и даже больше в Victory Boogie-Woogie , большая плавность и то, что Купер называет « полиритмичностью ».
Мондриан начал бродвейский буги-вуги вИюнь 1942 г. и завершил ее в первые недели 1943 года. Картина впервые выставлялась в 22 марта в 30 апреля 1943 г.в галерее Valentine в Нью-Йорке, на выставке, в которой участвовали Мондриан и бразильский скульптор Мария Мартинс, купившие Broadway Boogie-Woogie за 800 долларов, а затем пожертвовавшие его в том же году анонимно MoMA. По словам Гарри Купера, хотя Мондриан знал о прогрессе, который олицетворял бродвейский буги-вуги , он не был полностью удовлетворен своей картиной, чувствуя, что она ослаблена преобладанием желтого цвета.
Interesting Facts
Mondrian’s abstraction isn’t confined to the canvas; it extends into our understanding of the world. The intersecting lines and blocks in this painting not only mirror the city grid but also invite viewers to contemplate the harmonious interplay of various elements in their own lives.
The Jazz Connection
To truly appreciate this masterpiece, one must understand Mondrian’s affinity for jazz. The boogie-woogie style, with its upbeat tempo and syncopated rhythms, resonated deeply with the artist. In the painting, each colored block seems to dance independently, echoing the improvisational spirit of jazz music.
Grid as a Symbol
The grid in Mondrian’s work is more than just a compositional choice—it’s a philosophical statement. He believed that through this grid, he could capture the underlying order of the universe. In “Broadway Boogie Woogie,” the grid becomes a metaphor for the structured chaos of city life.
Primary Colors and Beyond
Mondrian’s use of primary colors wasn’t arbitrary, but a deliberate choice rooted in his belief in the universal significance of these hues. Each color, carefully placed in the composition, carries its own energy, contributing to the overall harmony of the piece.
Series and Versions
“Broadway Boogie Woogie” stands as a unique creation within Mondrian’s body of work. Unlike some of his earlier pieces, which were part of larger series, this painting is a standalone masterpiece. Its singularity adds to its allure and significance.
A Canvas Beyond Borders
The legacy of “Broadway Boogie Woogie” extends beyond its physical dimensions. Housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the painting serves as a timeless bridge between the past and the present. Visitors from around the world can witness Mondrian’s interpretation of the vibrant city that never sleeps.
Artworks Inspired by Piet Mondrian
Link: Narcissism in Art
In Madison Henn’s Narcissism in Art, she talks about the human obsession with self image and self importance over the centuries. «People feel a connection with others when they feel that others care about how they look, what they are doing, and how they feel» (Henn). The main connection between Striving Towards Perfection and Narcissism in Art is both themes have to do with human awareness of self-image and the constant need to achieve or be perfection. However on one hand, Narcissism is Art is about those who believe that they are perfection, therefore narcissists; whereas, the works of art featured in Striving Towards Perfection shows multiple attempts of achieving perfection. For example, in Caravaggio’s Narcissus «Caravaggio utilizes body positions to demonstrate Narcissus’s admiration for himself: he is leaning his body and tilting his head toward the pond in a loving manner almost as if he is trying to kiss the reflection. Additionally, his left hand seems to be in the water, which shows him trying to touch the image in the water in an attempt to get closer to his “love» (Henn). Consider this question: Why have humans, specifically females, been and are so obsessed with self image? Back in the 1600s when all a woman can aspire for was beauty, women were conscious about their images; however nowadays in a world where women are offered limitless opportunities, we still dwell on the idea of achieving physical perfection. Why is this?http://madison-narcissisminart.blogspot.com/
A Break From Mondrian’s Past Works
“Broadway Boogie Woogie” marks a significant departure from Mondrian’s earlier works, which primarily focused on a highly precise and structured grid pattern. With this artwork, Mondrian introduced a new level of complexity and movement by incorporating diagonal lines and smaller rectangles. This shift in style not only demonstrates the artist’s continued exploration and evolution but also introduces a sense of dynamism and energy that was absent in his previous compositions. The introduction of a more varied grid pattern adds depth and visual interest, making “Broadway Boogie Woogie” a standout within Mondrian’s body of work.
Why is Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie so famous?
One of the most famous and iconic artworks of the 20th century, Piet Mondrian’s “Broadway Boogie Woogie” continues to captivate audiences with its vibrant colors, geometric patterns, and rhythmic composition. Created in 1942-1943, this masterpiece is not only a reflection of Mondrian’s distinct style but also a representation of the dynamic energy of New York City, specifically the bustling streets of Broadway. There are several reasons why this particular artwork has gained such fame and admiration. Let us delve into the significance of “Broadway Boogie Woogie” and uncover the elements that make it truly exceptional.
Surname
Broadway Boogie Woogie , 1942/43, oil on canvas, 127 × 127 cm, Museum of Modern Art , New York
The name Victory Boogie Woogie does not originate, or at least it is not documented in writing, from Piet Mondrian. It is known, however, that he saw the work as a continuation of the earlier Broadway Boogie Woogie (1942-1943) and that he mentioned the term «Victory» (victory). Presumably Mondrian’s estate administrator and heir Harry Holtzman is the formal namesake, although the picture was given its definitive name during the six-week memorial exhibition that Holzmann organized in his studio immediately after the artist’s death.
It has been described several times that Mondrian liked to dance, even when he was seventy in New York, and that he loved jazz. At the beginning of his time in New York, his protégé Holtzman first introduced him to the new boogie-woogie music and passed on Mondrian’s reaction: “Enormous! Enormously! Huge! ”Exclaimed Mondrian when Holtzman played him the first boogie-woogie records. Sean Sweeney, son of MoMA curator James Johnson Sweeney, who often accompanied his father on visits to Mondrian’s studio, recalled Mondrian’s preference for boogie woogie: «He liked to play Gene Krupa ‘s drum boogie for me and joked about it, that he collected jazz records, although they were round and not square like the beloved colored surfaces on his walls and paintings ”.
“Victory” in the title probably indicates the expected victory of the Allies in World War II as well as Mondrian’s overcoming of the earlier strict compositions in favor of the new musical rhythm of the motif. Hans Locher, the director of the Gemeentemuseum, put it: “The Victory Boogie Woogie is the triumphant answer to the Second World War. The famous Guernica by Picasso is the par become image for violence and war victims in the twentieth century. Well, Victory Boogie Woogie by Mondrian is the ultimate image for the victory of joie de vivre and freedom ”.
Miscellaneous
In the late 1980s, the Dutch central bank prepared a new series of banknotes. Mondrian and his work Victory Boogie Woogie should be depicted on the nominally largest note of 1000 guilders (about 454 euros) . However, the drafts were not implemented, partly because of the European plans.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Mondrian’s death in 1994, a 90-cent stamp was issued in the Netherlands with a picture of a detail of Victory Boogie Woogie . In addition, Piet Mondrian’s initials PM characterize the stamp with another meaning of PM: Pro Memoria, Latin with the meaning to remember.
American President Barack Obama was among the many millions of visitors who have seen the painting over the years in March 2014 . He paid particular attention to the work in the exhibition Mondriaan & De Stijl in the Gemeentemuseum The Hague.
Where was Broadway Boogie Woogie painted?
New York
Broadway Boogie Woogie is a painting by Piet Mondrian completed in 1943, after he had moved to New York in 1940….
| Broadway Boogie Woogie | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942–43 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 127 cm × 127 cm (50 in × 50 in) |
| Location | Museum of Modern Art, New York |
What color scheme did the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian use in his painting Broadway Boogie Woogie *?
Born in Holland in 1878, Piet Mondrian painted traditional subjects in an increasingly abstract style. By 1920, he adopts a totally abstract motif, employing an irregular checkerboard drawn with black lines, and with the spaces paints mostly white or sometimes in the primary colors of blue, red and yellow.
Who painted Broadway Boogie Woogie?
Piet Mondrian
Broadway Boogie-Woogie/Artists
Made in New York Ann Temkin: This painting is titled Broadway Boogie-Woogie. It was made by the Dutch-born artist Piet Mondrian in 1942. Here, the horizontal and vertical lines of the painting are actually composed of rectangles and squares of red, blue, yellow, and white and gray.
Where was the composition with red blue and yellow made?
| Composition with Red Blue and Yellow | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929 |
| Type | Oil and paper on canvas |
| Dimensions | 59,5 cm × 59,5 cm (23.4 in × 23.4 in) |
| Location | Kunsthaus Zürich |
How much are Piet Mondrian paintings worth?
An oil painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian has sold at a New York auction for $50.6m (£32.1m) – a record for the artist’s work. The 1929 piece titled Composition No III, with Red, Blue, Yellow and Black, features the geometric style for which the artist became renowned.
Is Mondrian still alive?
Deceased (1872–1944)
Piet Mondrian/Living or Deceased
What does Broadway Boogie Woogie represent?
In Broadway Boogie Woogie, Mondrian represents the restless motion of the city. Move the button underneath the painting from right to left to remove the hue (color), without altering the luminance (brightness). Broadway Boogie Woogie, Piet Mondrian, 1942-1943.
What category of shapes does Piet Mondrian use in his painting Title Broadway Boogie Woogie?
Abstract Geometric
Abstract Geometric This style of art uses a white background, upon which is painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors.
Where was Broadway Boogie Woogie painted?
New York
Broadway Boogie Woogie is a painting by Piet Mondrian completed in 1943, after he had moved to New York in 1940….
| Broadway Boogie Woogie | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942–43 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 127 cm × 127 cm (50 in × 50 in) |
| Location | Museum of Modern Art, New York |
What does Mondrian mean by neo plasticism?
new art
From the Dutch ‘de nieuwe beelding’, neo-plasticism basically means new art (painting and sculpture are plastic arts). Mondrian had a profound influence on subsequent art and is now seen as one of the greatest of all modern artists.
What style is Broadway Boogie Woogie?
De Stijl
Broadway Boogie-Woogie/Periods
How much is Broadway Boogie Woogie worth?
An oil painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian has sold at a New York auction for $50.6m (£32.1m) – a record for the artist’s work.
Starting at the Beginning
The first mistake people make when they are introduced to the mature style for which Piet Mondrian is known is thinking that Mondrian must not have been able to draw from life. But that could not be farther from the truth. Born in 1872, Mondrian was tutored as a child by his father, an amateur painter, and his uncle, a professional one. He entered art school at the age of 20, and was so adept at drawing from models and copying the Old Masters that he was able to make a living copying museum paintings and making scientific drawings after school. Despite his talent for mimicry, however, Post-Impressionist movements held more promise for him, since they held the promise of creating something new for the future. He learned everything he could about early Modernist movements like Divisionism, Cubism, and Futurism, and throughout his 30s he transitioned quickly through the lessons of every emerging style to which he was exposed.
Mondrian took studious notes. He not only practiced the visual techniques of the Post-Impressionists but also deeply analyzed the thinking that underlined their theories. Raised in a Calvinist household, he had been exposed to the notion of spirituality as a child. Through his art studies, he came to reject the exclusivity of organized religion, and instead came to believe that universal spirituality could be attained through the Plastic Arts. The visual theories Mondrian developed may seem simplistic, but they represent what Mondrian perceived as profound truths. The horizontal and vertical lines depict the opposing-collaborating forces of nature—positive and negative, hard and soft, energy and rest. The squares and rectangles represent science and mathematics, structures which Mondrian believed concretely express the mystery of existence based in part on the ideas of Dutch mathematician Mathieu Hubertus Josephus Schoenmaekers. The limited color palette is what Mondrian considered the smallest number of colors needed to convey the importance of relationships. As he said, “Everything is expressed through relationships. Colour can exist only through other colours.”
Broadway Boogie Woogie Artwork Analysis
Broadway Boogie Woogie is strongly influenced by Mondrian’s move to the United States to escape World War II. The pulsating rhythm and vibration in the composition are reminiscent of the neon lights, traffic, and grid of New York City streets. Mondrian devoted his career to abstract art. In the United States elements of the real world started becoming inspirational.
The painting’s title establishes a symbolic link to the atmosphere of Broadway and the popular music Boogie Woogie. Mondrian was introduced to boogie-woogie on his first evening in New York and began frequenting the famous jazz club Minton’s Playhouse, where he became closer and closer to African-American Blues music.
The frenetic and syncopated rhythm of Boogie-Woogie dominates the painting. Mondrian’s words reveal the reason for his love of this musical genre. The painter saw similar goals between boogie-woogie music and his painting: “destruction of melody which is the destruction of natural appearance; and construction through the continuous opposition of pure means-dynamic rhythm.”
Witness to the creation
In January 1941, the painter Charmion von Wiegand visited Piet Mondrian in his studio and saw a composition with colored lines that was taped “like a mummy”. It was the beginning of his new way of working, in which he used colored (or even painted) tape in the creation phase of his compositions. After interviewing the artist on April 12, 1941, they became friends and she visited him regularly during the last three years of his life. Von Wiegand noted her memories of Mondrian in her diary and witnessed the process of creating the painting and Mondrian’s two-year struggle over the image concept.
| Sketch based on the original Victory Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian in the first phase of creation |
|---|
| Charmion von Wiegand , 1942 |
| Chalk on paper |
| approx. 21 x approx. 21 cm |
In early 1942 she visited Mondrian again, and he met her in the corridor and waved a piece of paper. He explained that he had dreamed of a magnificent composition and showed the paper with the first sketch for Victory Boogie Woogie . According to von Wiegand, Mondrian was never finished with the work. He was constantly working on it and showing the interim results to his friends. She once asked him why he wasn’t doing a series instead of continuously working on experiments. He replied that he was not interested in too many paintings, but preferred to do one painting really well. Mondrian actively included von Wiegand in his work on the picture. She made suggestions and he tried them, rearranging pieces of tape and breaking lines.
In January 1944, Mondrian had already been working on Victory Boogie Woogie for two years . During a visit to Wiegands at the time, Mondrian had a bad cold and looked bad. They looked together at the picture, which looked very good and appeared to be finished. According to Mondrian, the only thing missing now was a last brush stroke on the upper edge. A week later von Wiegand found him sick in bed. Harry Holtzman called for a doctor. Mondrian was rushed to hospital that same day. It was only at this point in time that Wiegand noticed that painting had changed again.
research
In September 2006 and a second time in March 2007 Victory Boogie Woogie was taken out of its frame for research purposes and examined with modern non-contact research methods such as infrared , UV light and X-rays . Under the direction of Maarten van Bommel from the Instituut Collectie Nederland and Hans Janssen, curator of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, a team of international specialists tried to research the history of its creation and to document it and the condition of the work. The process was documented in a film and commented on in a newspaper blog by the curator in de Volkskrant . Visitors to the museum could also watch the work behind a glass wall. Details invisible to the naked eye became known for the first time. Results were, for example, that the work was in good condition in terms of materials, that the large areas were created in one painting process, but the small squares had been changed many times, which was also scraped off, and that Mondrian had used glue, adhesive tape, paper and cellophane strips. The result was also a complete visualization of the history of its creation.
What is Depicted in Broadway Boogie Woogie?
The painting is an abstract composition, articulated on a square format of about five feet by five feet. It features yellow lines interrupted by red, blue, and white squares, arranged on a bright white surface. There are also colored rectangular shapes placed asymmetrically between the white spaces. The squares juxtaposed next to each other and in pure colors create a shimmering effect. Broadway Boogie Woogie is one of the last works Mondrian completed before his death, executed after he moved to New York in 1940 to escape World War II. The tiny and sparkling blocks of color create a pulsing rhythm reminiscent of the vital and dynamic atmosphere of the U.S. metropolis.
From the stylistic point of view, Broadway Boogie Woogie represents a turning point in Mondrian’s aesthetic doctrine of Neo-Plasticism. Until then, his abstract paintings were restricted to basic horizontal and vertical lines and a limited color palette -the primary triad of red, yellow, and blue plus neutral colors like white, black, and grays. Broadway Boogie Woogie eliminates the rigid black grids, introducing multi-colored segments and juxtaposed squares. The optical effect is new: the composition is lively, and bright, and creates vibrancy. This is the second turning point in the artist’s career. By 1913 Mondrian had abandoned the typically Dutch representational landscape painting and moved closer to abstract art, more akin to his spiritual research. In the 1940s, with Broadway Boogie Woogie and his move to the United States, Mondrian introduced liveliness and rhythm, abandoning the almost scientific austerity that marked his works of the 1920s and 1930s.
Who is the artist of Broadway boogie woogie?
Broadway Boogie Woogie. Broadway Boogie Woogie is a painting by Piet Mondrian completed in 1943, after he had moved to New York in 1940.
What’s the difference between Mondrian’s paintings and music?
Whereas Mondrian’s early paintings were built up out of long continuous lines and large planes, which could be compared to whole or half notes in music, there now appear much smaller forms, comparable to eighth and sixteenth notes, contrasting only here and there with larger areas.
Why is my analysis of Piet Mondrian so minute?
The analysis may appear minute (“mechanical” or “technical” to some) because a certain form of art criticism has accustomed us to start with romantic digressions on themes of a general character rather than addressing the most concrete and essential elements of a painting, namely its forms and colors.