Abstraction I

After studying in Paris with Cubist artists, including Fernand Léger, Blanche Lazzell brought the radical new language of European modernism to an unlikely place: Provincetown, Massachusetts. There, she became one of the leading practitioners of the white-line woodcut, an innovative technique in which a single carved wooden block was inked with different colors, while the carved lines remained white and separated the composition into distinct areas.

Lazzell fully embraced abstraction in her forties, at a time when such work was still difficult to exhibit and sell in the United States—particularly for a woman working far from New York's established gallery scene. Instead of treating abstraction as a passing experiment, she made it central to her art. In paintings like this one, recognizable objects give way to overlapping geometric forms, carefully balanced areas of color, and a strong sense of visual rhythm. 

We know that figurative art is most popular, but occasionally we enjoy sharing other styles, including abstraction! The same goes for our 12 Months Weekly Planner 2027, which features today's masterpiece. Check it out; it can fill your everyday tasks with art! 

P.S. Want to discover more American women artists who pushed the boundaries of abstraction? Take a look at our story of Grace Hartigan and her vibrant Summer Street.