By Lisette Schumacher
120 × 100 × 5 cm, 2026
Mixed Media

From the series Desert Modernism

Desert Modernism I is part of a series developed after Lisette Schumacher’s visit to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley in early 2025. Central to this body of work is the iconic Frey House II, designed by Albert Frey.
Rather than depicting the architecture directly, Schumacher translates the experience of the house and its surroundings into colour, material and composition. The work reflects the tension that defines Desert Modernism: a precise architectural language set within a vast and unpredictable natural landscape.

The painting is built through a physical, hands-on process. Pigment is applied, shifted and reworked directly on the surface, without the use of brushes. This results in a layered image that changes subtly depending on light and viewing distance.
Warm desert tones - brittle bush yellow, sand, brown and muted orange - are set against cooler blues referencing sky and water. These contrasts echo the visual experience of the Coachella Valley, where snow-covered mountains meet a sunlit desert environment.
While rooted in a specific place, the work moves beyond architecture. It captures a spatial condition: being both inside and outside at once, where structure and openness exist in balance.

As a large-scale painting, Desert Modernism I holds a strong physical presence, particularly in spaces where light and architecture are part of the experience. Its surface continues to shift throughout the day.

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