Six Abstract European Paintings, 1914–1941

Victor Servranckx (Belgian, 1897–1965)
Opus 44 (Construction), 1923
Oil on canvas, 17 3/4 x 23 1/4” (45 x 59 cm)

This week we present six abstract paintings created in Belgium, England, France, and Poland between 1914 and 1941. Whether rich in color (Atkinson) or drained to a pensive grisaille (Servranckx, Freundlich), painted in oil or gouache alone or combined with other elements such as string (Szczekacz), the language of abstraction both resonated across cultural milieus and transcended national and linguistic specificity during these generative years.

Victor Servranckx (Belgian, 1897–1965)
Opus 9, 1924
Oil on canvas, 27 x 22 7/8” (70.5  x 58 cm)

Otto Freundlich (German, born Poland. 1878–1943)
Composition, 1941
Gouache on board, 33 x 23 3/4” (84.2 x 60.2 cm)

Lawrence Atkinson (British, 1873–1931)
Vorticist Composition, 1914–1915
Oil on canvas, 41 7/8 x 33 1/2” (106.5 x 85 cm)

Wladyslaw Strzemiński (Polish, born Russian Empire. 1893–1952)
Untitled, c. 1933–1935
Oil on board, 17 7/8 x 7” (45.5 x 18.5 cm)

Samuel Szczekacz (Polish, 1917–1983)
Unistische Komposition (Unistic Composition), c. 1937
Oil and spring on wood, 19 1/4 x 19 3/8” (49 x 49.2 cm)

April 11, 2023