Single Dahlia

This piece was painted late in Wadsworth’s career, only two years before his death at age 59. Although he had largely abandoned the Vorticist style of his youth (which focused on geometric shapes and rejected realistic replications of landscapes, objects, or figures), the influence of the Vorticist style can still be seen in this work. Slightly off-centre, our focal point is the red Dahlia, largest in size and the only one of the three that is red. The other two purple dahlias are tucked behind an abstract pattern of repeated shapes. A combination of white fans, curved lines, teal and black leaves, and trapeziums with cut-out centres dance in the centre of the piece. They overlap each other and are painted as three-dimensional objects, creating a composition that appears to be in suspension. The bold pink of the background and the colours of the dahlias stand out in their contrast to the darker, near-monochromatic colour scheme of the geometric shapes.