Joaquín Torres-García: The Arcadian Modern

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Joaquín Torres-García. Construction with Curved Forms. 1931

Oil and nails on wood, 19 1/2 x 16 1/8 x 1/2" (49.5 x 41 x 1.3 cm). Given anonymously

Narrator: In Construction with Curved Forms, Torres-García layers wooden geometric forms on top of a wood background.

Karen Grimson: We can see the use of perpendicular lines creating smaller spaces. But in this work, we don't see the appearance of figures.

What we can see in the layered construction of wood over a wooden panel is a certain precariousness of his work._

Narrator: Torres-García reveals the texture of the wood and the nails that hold the work together.

Karen Grimson: He’s not as interested in finishing the work and leaving the elements in a polished manner, but rather, is more interested in the precarious nature of the objects.