The Bauhaus school tied the basic shapes to the primary colours: red to the square, yellow to the triangle, blue to the circle. You don't need to know the connection to see it, but it explains why these pieces feel ordered even when they're playful. The same reduction in freer form lives in contemporary art.

Graphics That Hold a Wall Together

Because the visual language is strict, several geometric pieces work together without becoming cluttered, and they also take being mixed with typography prints. In a home with plenty of wood and textiles they bring a welcome sharpness. A broader contemporary selection is in modern wall art.

What was Bauhaus?

A German art and design school founded in 1919 that tied craft, art and industry together under the idea that form should follow function. The school closed in 1933, but its visual language still shapes graphic design, architecture and furniture design today.

Do geometric pieces work alongside other art?

Well alongside typography and abstract work, since they share the same graphic starting point. Less well next to photography, where two entirely different visual languages end up in the same field of view and neither gets to lead the wall.

Does a geometric piece feel cold in a home?

That's easily offset with a wooden frame and a room with textiles, since it's the contrast between strict form and soft materials that makes these pieces interesting. In a minimalist room with no textiles, though, the effect can turn hard.

How many geometric pieces can hang together?

More than with most genres. Because the visual language is strict and the palette limited, several pieces hold together on their own, and three or four in a row with equal spacing become a whole without the wall feeling cluttered.

What colours do the Bauhaus pieces use?

Often the primaries, red, yellow and blue against white or black, since the school tied each colour to a basic shape. You don't need to know the connection to see that the palette is restrained, and that it's the restraint that makes these easy to combine.