HANS HARTUNG

This work is recorded in the archive of the Fondation Hartung Bergman, Antibes. It will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raiosnné of works by Hans Hartung. We thank the them for their kind assistance.

Literature: Marchiori, Giuseppe: Mostra Personale di Hans Hartung, Galleria Meneghini, Mestre 1973.

Provenance:
- Galleria d'arte moderna Il Castello, Milan.
- Purchased from the above by the present owner in 2022, since then private collection Switzerland.

"I am impelled by a certain state of mind to sketch, to create certain shapes, in order to try to evoke similar emotions in the viewer.... I like to be active on the canvas. Desire drives me: the desire to leave a trace of my action. It's all about the act of painting, of drawing, of scratching, of scraping!" Hans Hartung

The German-French painter and graphic artist Hans Hartung, who was one of the most important exponents of European Informel, was a determined advocate of abstraction. As early as the 1930s, he distanced himself from figurative painting and experimented with an abstract language of structures and forms that characterises his entire oeuvre. For Hartung, the intuitive and emotional gesture of painting is paramount. As spontaneous and haphazard as his paintings may appear, in fact he paid meticulous attention to the interplay of light and shadow, structure, texture and quality of airiness. Gradually, and until shortly before his death in 1989, he created grandiose compositions with ever more drastic colour implosions.

The present painting from 1969 shows an abstract composition in yellow, black and blue. The colours are applied in varying shades and intensities, creating a dynamic arrangement that is both contrasting and harmonious. The many black lines and points that Hartung carves into the monochrome areas of colour and which dance across the canvas in waves, create a near sculptural depth, a certain restlessness, as well as dynamic movements that make the viewer attentive and curious, and inspire them to think about the meaning and effect of colours and forms.