Rudolf von Huhn "Cadence No. 1" 1955 Gouache, Corcoran Exhibited

Executed in 1955, Cadence No. I is a refined example of mid-century American geometric abstraction by Rudolf von Huhn (1884–1968). Born in San Francisco, von Huhn studied and trained in engineering in Germany before fully committing to painting—an education that profoundly shaped his visual language. His technical training instilled a disciplined understanding of structural balance, spatial calibration, and mechanical rhythm. Rather than intuitive abstraction, his compositions operate with the clarity of drafted schematics—line functioning as vector, arc as trajectory, and form as engineered mass in equilibrium.

In Cadence No. I, angular white vectors intersect with controlled sweeps of line across a deep black field. Circular elements punctuate the surface like measured intervals, creating visual beats that justify the musical title. The dynamic arc that traverses the composition reads almost as a plotted curve—suggesting parabolic motion, aerodynamic lift, or calculated force distribution. The placement of geometric clusters at measured intervals across the picture plane reflects an engineer’s understanding of load, tension, and counterbalance.

Von Huhn’s work occupies an important position within American modernism. During his lifetime he exhibited at major institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Norton Gallery of Art. His paintings bridge European Constructivist discipline and American postwar abstraction, maintaining precision and clarity while embracing motion and spatial dynamism.

This gouache on paper measures 12 x 20 inches (sight) and is presented in a black frame measuring 18 x 25 inches. The surface retains strong saturation, crisp line integrity, and excellent overall stability. The monogram RvH appears lower left.

Cadence No. I exemplifies von Huhn’s ability to synthesize engineering logic with poetic abstraction—structure translated into rhythm, geometry transformed into movement.

Cadence No. 1 was exhibited at both th the Corcoran Gallery in DC and as part of his one man exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in 1955.

Rudolf von Huhn (1884–1968) was born in San Francisco and trained as an engineer in Germany before dedicating himself fully to painting in the 1940s. His technical education deeply informed his mature abstract language, which is characterized by structural precision, calibrated line, and spatial equilibrium. Von Huhn exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Corcoran Gallery of Art; the Smithsonian American Art Museum; the Baltimore Museum of Art; American University; George Washington University; Veerhoff Galleries; and the Norton Gallery of Art, among others. His works are held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the National Museum of American History, and the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery.

Frame: 18 x 25"