Art Talk – Geometry, Color, and Meaning
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Art Talk – Geometry, Color, and Meaning
What does a red square mean to you?
To some, it’s just a shape. To others, it’s power, resistance, or even joy. In the world of modern geometric art, simple forms like squares, circles, and triangles—paired with vibrant colors—become vessels of deep emotion and layered meaning. At Olshbau, we don’t just assemble plywood and cardboard into clean lines—we build stories out of angles.
In this edition of Art Talk, we explore how geometry, color, and meaning intertwine in our work, and why this language of shapes remains so powerful in the age of AI and visual overload.
Why Geometry Still Speaks
Geometric abstraction has been around for over a century. Artists like Kazimir Malevich, László Moholy-Nagy, and Wassily Kandinsky believed that basic forms could carry universal truths. They stripped away the unnecessary and aimed for pure visual language—what Malevich called “the supremacy of pure feeling in creative art.”
At Olshbau, we carry that torch—literally cutting it out of cardboard and plywood, painting it in acrylics, and bringing it into the present.
But why does it still work?
Because shapes are the architecture of how we perceive the world. They trigger associations—balance, chaos, tension, harmony—and let the viewer bring their own interpretation. A single triangle can feel sharp and decisive. Three of them together can feel like a conversation.
Color Is Not Decoration—It’s Code
In our studio, color isn’t an afterthought. It’s the emotional logic of the piece.
We use acrylic paints in saturated tones not because they “look good,” but because they feel honest. Color can elevate or ground a shape, change its role in the composition, and flip its emotional charge.
A floating yellow square? It might feel playful. Anchor it in a sea of black lines and it becomes a beacon.
We’ve found that limiting our palette often expands the emotional resonance. Just red, white, and black, as used in Suprematism, can say more than a rainbow.
The Secret Language of Shapes
In many Olshbau pieces, we start with the question: what happens when you move a circle slightly off-center?
That shift creates tension. It disrupts the grid. It invites the viewer to feel imbalance—and then to resolve it with their own gaze. Our wall sculptures are made to ask questions, not just decorate.
Sometimes we deliberately break symmetry. Other times, we aim for such precise balance that the whole piece feels like it’s floating. Viewers have told us our works feel “alive” or “in conversation with them”—that’s the result of thoughtful geometric composition.
Meaning in the Making
There’s a tactile dimension to our work that algorithms can’t replicate. When you hand-cut cardboard, you make decisions with your fingertips. When you layer painted paper into the composition, you’re not just building up texture—you’re layering intention.
We embrace imperfections. A tiny tilt. A hand-painted edge. These make the work human. They make it Olshbau.
Why This Matters Now
In a world of generative everything, handcrafted geometric art offers something rooted, real, and reflective. It slows down the gaze. It invites presence. And it gives space for the viewer to bring their own meaning to the forms.
At Olshbau, our mission is to keep that dialogue alive—between the eye and the shape, the color and the emotion, the viewer and the piece.
Because sometimes, a red square isn’t just a red square.
It’s a heartbeat.