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A geometric illustration of people gathered around a table in a room. The scene is composed of bold red, blue, yellow and white shapes defined by thick black lines.

Simon Cooper's cubism-inspired artworks are a primary coloured feast

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Date
17 September 2015

Blending a range of styles and motifs, American artist Simon Cooper’s collection of primary coloured works are inescapably easy on the eye. Using simple line work, white silhouetted figures and coloured shapes, his work is a hybrid of Mondrian and cubism. While we see so much work inspired by the internet and other modern phenomena, it’s interesting to see Simon take his work back to basics and draw from more traditional sources. It’s the less abstract pieces I’m drawn to most, where humdrum scenes are depicted like the fruit seller on a market stall and the friends festively drinking wine around a table.

An illustration of a person standing behind a market stall filled with colourful, patterned produce. The scene is composed of bold geometric shapes in primary colours, with a bright yellow sun in a blue sky.
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Simon Cooper: Mercado Central Cadiz

A painting of a figure playing a red guitar while sitting in a yellow doorway. To the right, a group of figures sit around a table in a room with red and blue geometric shapes.
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Simon Cooper: Sagasta Uno Con Felix

An illustration of several white, stylised figures in a geometric landscape of red, blue and yellow blocks. Two figures sit at a small round table while another stands nearby, all rendered in a bold, linear style.
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Simon Cooper: Outdoors

A geometric painting of a stylised figure in white, composed of sharp angles and black outlines. The figure is set against a bold background of red, blue and yellow shapes under a small yellow sun.
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Simon Cooper: Futbol

An illustration of a bustling art studio filled with white, stylised figures. The walls are covered in a grid of colourful paintings, while people sketch, paint and converse across a geometric floor of red, yellow and blue.
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Simon Cooper: Untitled

An illustration of a cafe with a bright yellow awning that reads “CAFE BAR EL PARQUE”. A figure stands behind the counter, with bottles lined up on a shelf behind them.
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Simon Cooper: Cafe Bar El Parque

A painting composed of a grid of colourful panels, each containing a stylised white figure. The scenes depict various activities, including fishing, reading, surfing, and playing a guitar.
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Simon Cooper: Cotidiano

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

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Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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