https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/481031
Homage to the Square: Soft Spoken by Josef Albers
This minimalistic abstract painting consists of four different sized squares, descending from biggest to smallest as your eyes move inward. Each square is painted a different color of green or blue. Two of the squares are blue, one being teal and the other navy blue. The other two squares are green, one is yellow-green and the other is hunter green. The color blue is typically associated with open spaces and freedom. The color green suggests tranquility and growth. The title of the painting, Soft Spoken, can be interpreted in different ways. To me, “soft” might refer to the mellow blue and green tones, as opposed to a harsh red tone. The “spoken” part of the title could be seen as the ascending, or descending, sizes of the squares representing different tones of voice people can speak in.
There is an apparent smoothness in texture, as this painting was done with oil on masonite. The lines on the painting are precise and meticulous, but do not look like they were aggressively painted. Instead, there is a light feel to the piece as the wood can be seen through the oil based paint in some areas. The oil paint seems to get thicker and more opaque towards the middle of the painting.
The top of the painting consists of proportional lines that are wider than the bottom portion of the painting. Each side of the painting contains the same exact width and depth of color. There is an imaginary vertical line of symmetry down the middle of the painting that shows how precisely similar one side of the painting is to the other. It is evident that the creator of this piece thoroughly measured each square before attempting and completing his painting.
Although the calming and cool colors suggest that this painting would invoke peace and serenity, it does quite the opposite for me. It is a two-dimensional painting, but gives off a three-dimensional feeling because of the optical illusion it presents. The visual effect of the artwork indicated me to look from the outside of the painting towards the middle. This gives me a sensation that is similar to falling into a vortex.
I was drawn to this painting because of it’s perfectly geometrical lines and shape. The squares have four sides and four corners, all at right angles, which personally represents orientation, direction and order, balance, foundation, and ultimately, stability. The emotional effect this painting has on me is a feeling of being trapped and having to stay within the boundaries of each square. This is ironic because my enjoyment of this painting defines my need for precision and balance in my life. I am normally drawn to habit, order, and stability in my life and tend to avoid change, chaos, and insecurity. This piece is a great representation of a simple yet complex and meaningful work of art.
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