Delightful Song by Red Dahlia

Blocks of red in varying shades spread across the surface, broken into squares and rectangles that shift in size and shape. Thin outlines of yellow and green trace the edges of these red shapes, setting them apart from the deep red background behind them. The pattern is irregular, loose and uneven, giving the whole piece a sense of motion despite its stillness. Alma Thomas created this work in 1976, and it is held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Thomas, who lived from 1891 to 1978, worked within the Washington Color School. One detail worth noticing is how the yellow and green outlines seem to vibrate against the surrounding red, making the individual blocks appear to flicker rather than sit flat.