This Composition by Geer van Velde is a spectacular oil painting that embodies the artist's shift towards an architectural abstraction:

oblique planes, translucent overlays, and a restrained palette form a silent and taut structure, reminiscent of his studies preserved in the Department of Graphic Arts at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Painted around 1950, the work immediately establishes its scale: its large format and expansive surface invite the viewer to explore relationships between planes rather than focussing on a single motif. The Composition unfolds like a construction-imaginary walls and veils-where geometric forms (trapezoids, oblique rectangles, bands, etc.) interact and create a captivating depth.

Color plays a measuring role: muted tones, grays, and light blues dominate, while ochres and greens respond under the artist's hand. The gesture is that of an architect of the surface, adjusting the density of the planes to achieve this unstable yet controlled equilibrium.

This piece is part of a museum-related trajectory, as several works titled "Composition" from the same period are preserved in renowned public collections, including:

•   Centre Pompidou, Paris, Paris « Composition » 1947-1950, oil on canvas, dimensions 162.4 × 129.8 cm;
• Musée Unterlindern, Colmar, "Composition," 1950-1955, oil on canvas, dimensions 122 x 104 cm;
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, « Composition » 1958, oil on canvas.