The abstract artist Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984) ran with a pretty serious art crowd. The names are icons of the form: Louise Bourgeois, Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg to name just a few. He also established the American Abstract Artists group with Arshile Gorky and William deKooning to help educate the American public regarding this new movement.

That was very nice of him. After all, abstract art can be something of an enigma. Think of Rauschenburg’s combine paintings (a combination of painting and sculpture), in particular, Monogram, the one with the stuffed goat erupting from the canvas with a car tire encircling its waist. This afternoon, Friday, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m. at the West Tisbury library Melissa Breese will give a talk on Mr. Vytlacil, his work and the movement he helped create. Ms. Breese holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s from RISD. She has taught art in private and public schools for 15 years. In other words, she not only knows her stuff, she knows how to teach it.

Mr. Vytlacil was a longtime resident of Chilmark, and all the works discussed today originated from his studio overlooking Squibnocket.

The event is free. For more information, call 508-693-3366.