Mystery of Light Composition

About Mystery of Light Composition

This contemporary cubist painting is by the highly regarded Canadian artist Otto Rogers.

A prominent Canadian artist celebrated for his own distinctive brand of contemporary artwork, the prairie-born Otto Rogers was drawn to the cubist-constructivist tradition of painting. This is a fine example of that genre—abstract shapes against an expressive slate gray background.
The palette—deep blue, black, a touch of yellow, and white aligns with the contemplative, almost spiritual quality of this painting. The recognized art critic, Clement Greenberg, was early to praise Roger’s talent as a ‘big attack painter’ and described his work as “having a fullness of inspiration.’ A devout follower of the Baha’i faith, Rogers did not view art as simply a ‘decorative thing.’

“Art is a means of elevating consciousness and can reflect attributes of the soul.” Otto Rogers

Otto Rogers (1935-2019) was born in Saskatchewan and acquired his MA in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin. He later taught art at the University of Saskatchewan for 30 years. His work is included in more than 30 public collections across Canada, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Canadian Collection, and the National Gallery of Canada. Roger’s work is also in the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona and the National Gallery of Iceland, as well as numerous private and corporate collections.
Rogers also helped sustain the Emma Lake Workshops, which provide a meeting place for many of North America's most respected visual artists and critics, including Clement Greenberg, Barnett Newman, Jules Olitiski, Kenneth Noland, Jack Shadbolt, and Helen Frankenthaler. In 2007, a book of his work, Otto Donald Rogers, including a foreword by British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, was published.