Contra-Construction Project (Axonometric)
Theo van Doesburg
Dutch, 1883–1931
Cornelis van Eesteren
Dutch, 1897–1988
1923
An axonometric architectural study executed in gouache on a lithograph in which van Doesburg arranges flat, colored planes and crisp outlines to rethink building form as an abstract, interlocking geometry.
You’re struck by a compact, puzzle-like cluster of floating blue, red, yellow, black, and white slabs whose sharp edges and subtle cast shadows create the impression of transparent, shifting rooms hovering above a pale ground.
Created during the De Stijl era, the piece converts the movement’s abstract painterly language into architectural projection, helping to establish axonometric abstraction as a way to imagine modern space and influence later modernist design.
Medium
Gouache on lithograph
Dimensions
22 1/2 x 22 1/2" (57.2 x 57.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.
Accession
149.1947
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
