César Domela

César Domela was a key figure in European abstraction and a pioneering member of the De Stijl movement, which sought a universal visual language grounded in balance, order, and clarity. Trained initially as an architect, Domela brought a deep sensitivity to structure and materials into his artistic practice, moving beyond painting to incorporate relief, collage, and industrial elements. By the mid-1920s, he had broken with the strict techniques of early De Stijl, developing a more dynamic, tactile form of abstraction that emphasized depth, surface, and light.

Composition No. 152, created in 1974, exemplifies Domela’s mature approach. Constructed from layered materials on panel, the work activates the space between painting and sculpture. Subtle shifts in plane, combined with carefully modulated color and texture, create a rhythmic interplay of shadows and reflections. Rather than presenting a single, fixed image, the composition changes as the viewer moves, inviting close looking and physical engagement. This emphasis on perception underscores Domela’s belief that abstraction could be experiential as well as intellectual.

Created late in the artist’s career, the work reflects Domela’s lifelong commitment to experimentation. Industrial materials—often metal, wood, or plastics—are transformed into a refined visual language that balances precision with sensuousness. The measured geometry of the composition conveys restraint, while the tactile surface introduces an element of unpredictability.

In Composition No. 152, Domela demonstrates how abstraction can transcend flatness to become an exploration of space itself. The work stands as a testament to his role in expanding modernist abstraction beyond the canvas, redefining it as a dialogue between material, light, and viewer.