Painting in Six Related Rhythms
- Artist: Denis Williams
- Date: 1955
- Medium: Oil paint, ink and graphite on board
- Dimensions: support: 789 × 786 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Painting in Six Related Rhythms” by Denis Williams, painted in 1955. The work is an oil, ink and graphite study on a square board that’s been turned into a diamond‑shaped panel. Williams starts with a grid of one‑inch squares, then bisects and segments them to create a lattice that feels like an irregular crystal or a complex architectural space.
The piece is a short, exploratory foray into geometric abstraction. A vertical shaft of white runs through the centre, cutting through a red bottom corner and a grey top corner. On either side, elongated grey shapes frame the shaft, suggesting both a looking‑in and looking‑out point of view. The lattice is punctuated by patches of blues, whites, greys, ochres and reds that syncopate the geometry, giving the painting a rhythmic quality.
His daughter, Evelyn A. Williams, has noted how “non‑European ‘survival rhythms’” can be read in the subconscious iconography of the work. In short, this painting blends strict mathematical structure with spontaneous colour and texture, inviting viewers to feel the pulse of a crystal made from pure abstraction.
See it in person
Painting in Six Related Rhythms is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
