Untitled

Description

Creating his first abstract paintings in 1944, Georges Mathieu was one of the originators of the Tachism, a European abstract art movement. By 1949 he had fully developed a technique of rapid, broad brushstrokes, where the speed of execution was essential in capturing a sense of intuitive spontaneity. This technique later evolved into his trademark calligraphic, gestural style. Mathieu also reduced his color palette in the ‘50s to reds, blacks, and deep golden browns.
It is these qualities of Mathieu’s work that are the defining elements in this 1956 piece, where the strong red and black calligraphic brushstrokes are applied in his characteristic manner of painting.
Jamina Ramírez, Intern for Modern and Contemporary Art, on the occasion of the exhibition The New York School: Abstract Expressionism and Beyond, July 20, 2002 – January 19, 2002