As a tonic chord consists of the first, third, and fifth intervals of the tonic musical scale, for example, the 'scale of red' would be composed of those intervals on the color wheel-red, yellow, and blue-green. As Macdonald-Wright explained, synchromy 'is to color what symphony is to sound,' 1 i.e., a synchromist selects colors from the color wheel as a composer selects a chord structure, the 'key' of a piece. Blending color and music theory with Cubist influences, they created vivid rhythmic 'chords of color' in their paintings, which they called synchromies('with color'). Raised in Virginia and California, Macdonald-Wright pursued his art studies in Paris, and in 1912, developed with fellow artist Morgan Russell the color-saturated abstract style they titled synchromism. - Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Aeroplane Synchromy in Yellow-Orange, oil on canvas, 1920.What do you see in each painting? What do you hear in your head? What movement do you feel? How would you rename each painting to reflect your answers to these questions? Why did both artists title their works Aeroplane instead of Airplane? What different interpretations of the 'aeroplane' did they offer? (3 pp.)

Despite their obvious differences, the paintings reflect the modern artist's search for new ways to direct, manipulate, and enhance the viewer's perception. In these two paintings, the object is the 'aeroplane'-as interpreted by an abstract synchromist painter and a realistic precisionist painter. The 'Aeroplane' in Art The individual manmade object-from eggbeater to bridge truss-was a regular feature of modern American painting in the 1920s.

Chicago 1930 airplane