I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928)

Artist: Charles Demuth (1883-1935)Year: 1928Charles Demuth's painting *I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold* is a visually striking example of precision and abstraction that is characteristic of the Precisionism movement in American art. The painting is inspired by William Carlos Williams' poem "The Great Figure," which describes the poet’s dynamic encounter with a fire truck emblazoned with the number 5, tearing through the streets of a city at night.At the heart of the artwork is the bold, gold numeral 5, which is repeated in diminishing sizes to create a sense of rapid motion and dynamism. The painting's background contains much architectural and geometric abstraction comprising sharp lines, forms, and contrasting colors that simulate the frenetic urban environment through which the number 5 moves.On the top left of the canvas, the word "BILL" appears in red against a black backdrop, adding to the graphic quality of the work reminiscent of commercial signage. To the right, fragments of words and numbers contribute to the scene's textual collage, emphasizing a rhythmic, almost musical composition of the painting. This piece not only immortalizes a momentary urban scene but also exemplifies Demuth’s skill in combining text and image in a composition that is as poetic as it is visually compelling.