Caulfield's exacting draughtsmanship and bright,
flat surfaces —
flat, but deftly used to suggest
overlapping planes, falling light or subtle changes in perspectival depth — changed infrequently and instead were refined over the decades.
Henri Rousseau's (1844 — 1910) detached treatment of surface composed of
flat, juxtaposed and
overlapping planes and grids, foreshadowed many aspects of Modernism have long fascinated Ghenie who regards him as «the first abstract painter».