Interactive Image Walkthrough 2.11

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Figure 2.11. Paul Kelpe, Machinery (Abstract # 2), 1933–1934. Oil on canvas, 38.25 × 26.375 in. Transfer from the US Department of Labor, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.

A man stands and works near machinery. The machinery has wheels of different sizes that touch each other. In the background, a factory stands with chimneys and a tower.

Using examples from the book, identify the differences between two-dimensional and three- dimensional shape.

Slightly zoomed in towards the center of the image. A man stands and works near machinery. The machinery has wheels of different sizes that touch each other. In the background, a factory stands with chimneys and a tower.

Balance and harmony are created in this work of art by the careful organization of flat geometric shapes that vary in size and repetition. These elements lend the composition a two-dimensional quality and subtle movement-visible in such objects as the wheels in motion.

Even more zoomed in towards the center of the image. A man stands and works near machinery. The machinery has wheels of different sizes that touch each other. In the background, a factory stands with chimneys and a tower.

The abstracted geometric shapes create a machine-like aesthetic in the work of art accentuated by the play between the neutrals, warm and cool colors, and the factories' verticality visible in the foreground.

Zoomed into the man who stands and works near machinery.

The inclusion of the man in the composition can allude to both the working class and man's role in creating technology.

Zoomed in to focus on the factory smoke pipes in against the sky blue background.

The WPA designed and carried out many projects that introduced the general public to the arts in a variety of platforms, thus bridging the divide between public understanding of what constitutes as art and the process of art-making. Consequently, it provided artists with a much-needed stipend during these difficult economic times. The image emphasized the importance of the working class and boosted morale during these tough times. (Note the smokestacks on the background.)

Focus on the interconnected cogs in the machinery on top of the large wheel in the foreground.

In this composition, the artist shows movement by incorporating a pattern of organic brushstrokes that follow the forms and subtly catches the light to suggest action.

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