International Abstract Art – Gesture and Matter 📷 Málaga – Spain

One of the things that surprises me most when I visit an international museum such as the Pompidou Centre is the quality of the works, but also, as in this case, their size and the detailed explanations provided in several languages, so that all tourists can fully appreciate the marvellous art they are viewing.

It had been a while since I’d last visited this museum; various personal matters and the distance from where I live had made it difficult for me to go, but I had a look online and saw that there was an exhibition on, ending in September, I didn’t want to miss it. I still have plenty of museums to visit this summer and decided to start with the ones furthest away first. Of course, I didn’t look up what the exhibition was about because it’s better to be there in person and enjoy the surprise, and fortunately that’s exactly what happened: it was a wonderful surprise.

This museum is characterised by its sheer size and grandeur; that colourful cube can be seen from afar and is situated right on the seafront promenade, the city’s most famous one. Thousands of tourists visit it all the time, whatever the time of year, so it’s always bustling with people.

The exhibition is entitled ‘Gesture and Matter’: international abstract art from 1945 to 1965, and in the corridor leading to the gallery, which was shaped like a vast labyrinth, there was a chronological display featuring all the artists who made their mark during that period. This, and much more, is what I meant when I said that such important museums provide a very detailed explanation of what is on display, and it is wonderful to be able to bring that here.

After the Second World War, a new artistic movement emerged, based on abstraction, gesture and materiality. It originated in Paris. Artists were seeking something new, to break with everything that had gone before, to reinvent painting as if it were something entirely new.

It was during this period that Surrealism emphasised concepts such as the unconscious. That is why spontaneity and new art forms were highly valued. Consequently, the city became the artistic hub after 1945, a centre of abstraction, home to a large number of art galleries and even a great many art critics. Many artists went into exile in Paris due to the rise of dictatorships in their own countries; this exhibition and its title therefore demonstrate the international development of abstraction over the course of two decades.

Heperile, 1951, Camille Bryen, oil on canvas.

In one section of the museum there was a text about Michel Tapié, who was a very important figure in the Informel art movement in Paris. He was responsible for bringing together many abstract artists after the war, artists who rejected geometric and figurative elements.

Two of these artists stood out, particularly for their affinity with Surrealism; consequently, their paintings featured abstract forms, splashes of colour and the thick impasto techniques that we see in the various works in the exhibition, applied not with a brush but directly from the tube of oil paint.

La Turquoise, 1949, Wols, oil on canvas.

Frotissance, 1946, Georges Mathieu, oil on wood.

Opalescence, 1948, Georges Mathieu, oil on wood.

As well as occurring in Paris, this phenomenon was also present in New York, which was a major artistic and intellectual hub; however, the artists there looked to Paris for inspiration. What they had in common was the use of large, large-format supports, characterised by intense gesturalism and a physical relationship between the painting and its support. Notable among the artists were Sam Francis, Jackson Pollock, Georges Mathieu and François Arnal.

In this way, a link was forged between European and American abstraction, and this was evident in various art galleries.

Number 26A, Black and White, 1948, Jackson Pollock, glycerophthalic paint on canvas.

Other White, 1952, Sam Francis, oil on canvas.

Le Combat de coqs, 1954, François Arnal, oil paint and varnish on paper mounted on canvas.

You can see the enormous dimensions of many of the works on display; in fact, on many occasions there was just a single painting on the wall. The time it takes to complete a painting depends on its complexity, but the truth is that a large-scale work takes a great deal of time. The rooms continued through this vast labyrinth, and the next section looked rather strange.

The section was entitled ‘Black is a Colour’, a name given by the Galerie Maeght in 1946. It consists of abstract works by various artists, characterised by the fact that they are executed in black. Many artists explored this technique, creating contrasts against the colour white. It is a form of chromatic minimalism, and this contrast evoked a sense of gravity and tragedy, reminiscent of Baroque painting.

Inés, 1957, Antonio Saura, oil on canvas.

Opus 15C, 1956, Gérard Schneider, oil on canvas.

T 1956-14, 1956, Hans Hartung, oil on canvas.

Peinture 195x130 cm, 1953, Pierre Soulages, oil on canvas.

Sans tirre, 1964, André Marfaing, oil on canvas.

Peinture 260x202 cm, 1963, Pierre Soulages, oil on canvas.

The Japanese also chose Paris in the 1950s, and ties between the Parisian art scene and the Gutai movement grew stronger. The works focused on nature or landscapes, but from an abstract perspective. Themes of calligraphy and Zen spirituality also featured prominently.

04.05.64, 1964, Zao Wou-Ki, oil on canvas.

Unknown journey, 1965–1966, Mark Tobey, oil on canvas.

Aware I, 1961, Jean Degottex, oil on canvas.

Soleil axial, 1959–1960, Key Sato, oil on canvas.

Solitude sonore, 1956, Toshimitsu Imai, oil on canvas.

During the 1950s, various galleries, magazines and critics from all over the world promoted the spread of this movement of gestural abstraction and materiality, until it became fashionable throughout Europe. The exhibition explains which artists stood out most in various countries.

Peinture, 1961, Tadeusz Kantor, oil on canvas.

Occhio di lucertola, 1960, Afro, oil on canvas.

Peinture n° 6, 1963, Michel Parmentier, oil, wax, pencil and paper collaged onto canvas.

The exhibition was truly marvellous, with striking, enormous works, I cannot emphasise this enough, and you also learn a great deal about the history of that period and the artists involved.

On leaving the main hall, of course, the usual shop was waiting for me, where I could buy a souvenir, a book or a little something, either as a gift or for myself.

It has been a pleasure to enjoy this magnificent exhibition of such high quality and scale.
Thank you very much for joining me today; warm regards to you all. See you soon.
Amonet.