Much of Pollock’s early work is characterized by a somber palette and congested pictorial space, but Stenographic Figure is bright and airy. On top of the flat, planar fields of color, Pollock painted two elementary humanoid forms, one near the right edge of the canvas and another just left of center, then made fine-lined calligraphic brushstrokes across the entire surface. Stenographic Figure was first shown in 1943, at the Spring Salon for Young Artists held by Peggy Guggenheim at her gallery Art of This Century. It garnered praise from, among others, artist Piet Mondrian, who described it as “the most interesting work I’ve seen so far in America.”