George L.K. Morris (U.S., 1906-1975) New England Church, 1935-1946
Oil on canvas
26 1/8" x 30"
State Department Collection, Purchase,
War Assets Administration, 1948
As a founding
member of the American Abstract Artists (AAA), George L.K. Morris
developed and promoted geometric, abstract art in the United States.
The AAA and its followers did not have good timing. The group was
formed in 1936, when depictions of American workers, landscapes
and cities were more favored.
Morris's style of abstraction is
based on a Cubist sense of space developed earlier in the century
by Picasso and Braque. Cubists painted objects so that they might
be experienced all at once rather than having each side viewed separately.
In this case, Morris chose a church as his subject. The central
portion is representative of the white-washed churches that dot
the New England countryside. Steeple and window references are found
near the top — just above the facade with its arching doorways.
Morris's palette is much more colorful than that of the original
Cubists, who preferred to concentrate on form rather than color.
