▁League ▁where ▁Haw th or ne ▁was ▁then ▁teaching . ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 4 ▁Dick inson ▁made ▁a ▁portrait ▁of ▁her ▁which ▁shows ▁a ▁serious ▁young ▁woman , ▁som ber ly ▁dressed . ▁Despite ▁differences ▁of ▁medium ▁and ▁treatment , ▁B ial a ' s ▁self - port rait ▁of ▁ 1 9 2 5 ▁shows ▁similar ities ▁of ▁style . ▁From ▁Dick inson , ▁B ial a ▁learned ▁to ▁focus ▁on ▁the ▁essential ▁elements ▁of ▁a ▁subject , ▁to ▁see ▁these ▁elements ▁as ▁abstract ▁forms ▁on ▁the ▁two - dimensional ▁plane ▁of ▁the ▁canvas , ▁and ▁to ▁select ▁the ▁color ▁values ▁that ▁would ▁become ▁the ▁key ▁to ▁the ▁finished ▁work . ▁Dick inson ▁recognized ▁that ▁color ▁relationships ▁are ▁more ▁important ▁to ▁the ▁artist ▁than ▁single ▁colors ▁in ▁isol ation . ▁As ▁he ▁did , ▁she ▁painted ▁figur atively ▁but ▁she ▁believed ▁color ▁harm on ies ▁to ▁be ▁more ▁important ▁than ▁accurate ▁representation ▁of ▁a ▁subject . ▁Their ▁compos itions ▁t ended ▁toward ▁bold , ▁simplified ▁shapes ▁and ▁were ▁more ▁re duct ively ▁abstract ▁and ▁spatial ly ▁flat ▁than ▁those ▁of ▁many ▁of ▁their ▁contempor aries . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 9 ▁and ▁ 1 9 3 0 ▁B ial a ▁participated ▁in ▁group ▁shows ▁at ▁the ▁G . R . D . ▁Sal on . ▁G . R . D . ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁a ▁few ▁New ▁York ▁gall eries ▁that ▁showed ▁modern ist ▁paint ings ▁of ▁both ▁women ▁and ▁men . ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁non - pro