Which group is correctly paired with NGA - Shape?

• A. Matisse, Mondrian, Edward Stelchen, Van Gogh — NGA - Shape
• B. Monet, Matisse, Kandinsky — NGA - Shape
• C. Lichtenstein, Charles Sheeler, Joan Miro — NGA - Shape
• D. Matisse, Mondrian, Edward Stelchen, Van Gogh — NGA - Color

Answer: (A)

NGA - Shape brings together artists whose work foregrounds recognizable forms and how those shapes are organized on the surface. Matisse is celebrated for bold, flattened shapes in his cut-outs and simplified figures that read as distinct forms. Mondrian centers his compositions on geometric shapes—rectangles bounded by a grid of black lines, creating a clear vocabulary of shapes. Edward Steichen’s photography often isolates strong silhouettes and defined forms through careful composition, turning subjects into shapes within the image. Van Gogh uses bold, readable shapes in his landscapes and scenes—the thick outlines and sweeping forms that give structure to the composition.

Because each of these artists emphasizes the arrangement and perception of shapes as a primary element of their work, they fit NGA - Shape well. In contrast, other groupings mix artists whose defining features center on color, mood, abstraction, or line work more than on shape as the dominant organizing principle.