ABSTRACT
Suzy Frelinghuysen enjoyed a unique artistic career, distinguishing herself both onstage and in painting. Born into a socially prominent New Jersey family, she was raised amidst affluence that enabled her to pursue her artistic passions, studying painting and singing from a young age. Following her marriage to artist and critic George L. K. Morris in 1935, Frelinghuysen began experimenting with abstract painting, which she quickly mastered and imbued with a distinctive sense of tactility and color. Frelinghuysen felt that her dual artistic identities were complementary, however, describing how "one is a good balance for the other. Painting is so contemplative while singing is so personal." Composition, 1943, is one of Frelinghuysen's most abstract works from this period, yet it still maintains her characteristic figural references. Here she alludes to the human form: the white polygon at top suggests a head, and the triangular forms below, a torso.
