Artwork Page for The Open Window

Details / Information for The Open Window

The Open Window

c. 1914

Edward Alexander Wadsworth

(British, 1889–1949)
Culture
England, 20th century
Medium
color woodcut
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1987.49
Catalogue raisonné
Colnaghi 102b; Grennwood W/D 5/3
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Open Window was inspired by Robert Delaunay's 1911 painting La Ville (The City). Like Delaunay, Wadsworth rendered a view over a city at night, but made the checkered patterning-which unites an array of motifs in the painted scene-the theme of his work. Wadsworth liked the possibilities woodcut gave him to explore complete changes of meaning through different color permutations. There are six versions of Open Window with various color combinations.
A vertically oriented color woodcut on tan paper depicts a fragmented composition of geometric forms. A deep red background is layered with thick, grainy black angular bands and shards. Strips of green and white checkered grids intersperse among the dark forms, some clustering in the left third. Sharp white outlines define the overlapping shapes, creating layered planes that slice across the space in various diagonal orientations.

The Open Window

c. 1914

Edward Alexander Wadsworth

(British, 1889–1949)
England, 20th century

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