Composition

In 1912, Felix Del Marle went to Paris, where he shared his studio with the futurist Gino Severini and came into contact with other members of the avant garde, such as Apollinaire. He was forced to join the army in 1914, but wounded, he soon put up a resistance against the violence and became a radical anti-militarist. From his hospital bed he began an extensive correspondence with the Futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. The attraction to themes of motion and speed, characteristic for the work of the Futurists, is also seen with Del Marle. In 1922 Del Marle came in contact with Piet Mondriaan and Theo van Doesburg, became enthusiastic by the ideas of De Stijl and founded the magazine "Vouloir". During the 1930's his work was mostly figurative, followed by a period of surrealistic painting around 1940-1942. Between 1945 and 1950, Del Marle returned to abstraction. He wished to remove colour from its traditional role as a subordinate, decorative or applied element in art and architecture. Undoubtly, he perceived art as a social force capable of effecting change. He once remarked: "Art should contribute by the coloration of streets, of cities, to the joy of life - not for an elite - but for man, for all men".