The artwork Constellation M by Leon Polk Smith is comprised fo three oval canvases arranged in a way that feels like they are each lookin in on one another. The circles have a straight line splitting a third of them giving each an accent color, one is a brighter red than the red of the canvas, the other is a dark blue and the the third a golden color verging on orange. The three canvases touch each other in a way that they create a negative space where they meet that draws your eye towards the center of the work while at the same time, the accent colors are positioned at the far edges of the ovals drawing your eye in an outward motion. The eye can also see the base red color in the canvas as a larger shape that is overlapping everything like a large irregular upside-down triangle.

Constellation M

Oil on canvas, 3 panels, each 83? x 88½ in. / 212.4 x 224.8 cm. (overall)