Marius de Zayas, introduced to cubist and primitive aesthetics by Pablo Picasso on a visit to Paris, evolved a complex theory of abstract caricature. After studying ancient and modern stylization, he began to employ geometric shapes and mathematical formulas as symbolic substitutes for representational form. The new caricatures were among the most radically abstract images being made in America at the time, and Alfred Stieglitz featured them in April 1913 in his third 291 De Zayas exhibition.
In de Zayas's image of Agnes Meyer, for instance, balanced, ovoid shapes and curving lines suggest her graceful figure and broad brow while algebraic formulas and sweeping diagonals imply intelligence and energy. Agnes Meyer had become a close associate of de Zayas and the Stieglitz circle as well as a principal backer of the 291 gallery.
Agnes Meyer 1887–1970
BACK to "Experimental Portraiture"
Marius de Zayas (1880–1961)
Charcoal on paper, 1912-1913
Collection of Dr. Anne Meyer
NEXT portrait