angement of abstract, geometric forms. The numeral 8 appears prominently in the composition and seems to explode into the foreground. According to the artist, the picture represents the mystical embodiment of "eight," a number generally associated with spiritual transcendence. Although Hartley offered no additional explanation, hints of his experience of pre-World War I Germany emerge in motifs that suggest the insignia and epaulets of soldiers' uniforms and the brash sounds of military bands.