Walt Kuhn - American

Ocean Cliffs, 1914, 24.75 x 29 inches
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The cliffs are nearly far enough to the right of the composition to require some counterbalancing object on the left. This nearness to a point of imbalance gives the image a modernist edginess that works with the subject matter of stark cliffs. The light tones and colours of the cliffs, which are similar to those in the sea and sky, lessen their visual weight so that the small area of contrasting tones in the lower left corner is enough to act as a counterbalance.