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Composition #45

A work made of watercolor, with pen and black ink, over graphite on cream wove paper.

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  • A work made of watercolor, with pen and black ink, over graphite on cream wove paper.

Date:

1933

Artist:

Paul Kelpe
American, 1902-1985

About this artwork

Paul Kelpe studied art in Hanover, Germany, before moving to the United States in 1925. By then he had already established a personal style of geometric abstraction, distinguished by smooth surfaces and areas of glowing color. He was a founding member of American Abstract Artists in New York. In the 1930s, Kelpe worked in a social realist style for the Federal Art Project, but he remained committed to abstraction, which he practiced in three-dimensional constructions as well as in watercolors such as this one. The artist settled in Chicago for a time, earning a doctoral degree in art history.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Paul Kelpe

Title

Composition #45

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1933

Medium

Watercolor, with pen and black ink, over graphite on cream wove paper

Dimensions

22.9 × 16.2 cm (9 1/16 × 6 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Estate of Gertrude Abercrombie

Reference Number

1978.482

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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