Rosace II - Otto Freundlich

A geometric abstract composition by Otto Freundlich, featuring a mosaic of interlocking colour fields that evoke the structure of a rose window.

Otto Freundlich was a significant figure in the development of European abstract art. Rosace II displays his characteristic approach to colour and form, where the canvas is divided into a mosaic of interlocking geometric shapes. These segments do not follow a rigid grid, but rather suggest a rhythmic, organic expansion from the centre of the composition. Freundlich believed that colour possessed its own internal logic and emotional weight, independent of representational subject matter. By arranging these distinct planes of colour, he aimed to create a visual harmony that functioned like a musical composition.

The title, Rosace, refers to the circular rose windows found in Gothic cathedrals. Freundlich often drew parallels between the spiritual function of medieval architecture and the potential of modern abstract art. In this work, the arrangement of shapes creates a sense of light radiating outwards, mirroring the effect of stained glass. The palette includes a wide spectrum of tones, ranging from deep earth colours to brighter, saturated hues. These colours are placed in proximity to one another to create subtle shifts in depth and tension across the surface.

Freundlich spent much of his career in France, where he became involved with the Abstraction-Création group. His work was later labelled as degenerate by the National Socialist regime in Germany, leading to the confiscation and destruction of many of his pieces. Rosace II remains a clear example of his dedication to non-objective painting. The composition avoids central perspective, instead relying on the interaction of the individual colour fields to guide the viewer's eye. This approach reflects his interest in the relationship between the individual element and the collective whole, a theme that occupied his theoretical writings throughout the 1920s and 1930s.