“Incense of a New Church,” crafted by Charles Demuth in 1921, is an oil on canvas painting categorized under the Precisionism movement and classified as a cityscape. This artwork is presently housed in the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio, United States.
The artwork exudes a geometric and industrial aesthetic emblematic of Precisionism. It showcases a series of imposing urban structures rendered in stark, clean lines and sharp angles. The color palette predominantly features muted earth tones interspersed with stark blacks and blues, contributing to the work’s modernist sensibility. The swirling forms in the foreground suggest movement, possibly representing smoke or steam, imbuing the composition with dynamic energy while contrasting with the rigid verticality of the constructed forms. This juxtaposition evokes the burgeoning industrial landscape of the early 20th century, bridging the organic with the mechanical in a visually striking manner.
