The Brush Broom
1921
Arthur Dove, a pioneer of American abstraction, turns a simple subject into a quirky visual puzzle. A tall, brown shape—resembling a vase or a tree trunk—anchors the center, resting on a large grey circle while a blue band slices horizontally across the background. At the top, a greenish, petal-like burst with a dark center looks almost like a giant, sleepy eye peering down at the scene. Dove loved stripping nature down to its essential colors and forms, so instead of a realistic picture, he gives us the 'feeling' of the object, leaving it up to us to decide if it’s a plant, a tool, or just a happy accident of shape and color.
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