PERFORMANCE “I AM YOU” BY RAFAEL MONTILLA #KUBEMAN My work is based on geometric abstraction. The cube plays a central part of my proposal. It represents a symbol of harmony, unity and balance of our life. I build and deconstruct the cube shape as fundamental imprint of the universe. “I Am You” performance based in the #kubeman series I dress in a white suit and the head is a cube-mirror made of acrylic in which people can be reflected; it is a dialogue of people with themselves, because you do not see my identity but the person’s one that is reflected in the cube-mirror. You can experience your identity and your face in looking at me. Live the experience!
He was a German Fluxus, happening, and performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, medallist, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist, and pedagogue.
Joseph Beuys extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his “extended definition of art” and the idea of social sculpture as a gesamtkunstwerk, for which he claimed a creative, participatory role in shaping society and politics. His career was characterized by open public debates on a very wide range of subjects including political, environmental, social and long term cultural trends. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century.
Joseph Beuys, who is recognized as one of the most influential artists of the postwar period, had a grand and ambitious goal for his work: the transformation of Western culture into a more peaceful, democratic, and creative milieu. His multifaceted career, which included sculpture, performance, lectures, activism, and even a campaign for elected office, were all part of an “expanded concept of art” that was aimed at advancing his utopian vision. In all its forms, his work is dense and highly allusive and draws on much of the accumulated knowledge of Western civilization, including history, religion, natural sciences, economic theory, and myth. A charismatic teacher, Beuys was mentor to a generation of younger artists who were inspired by his passionate fusion of art, life, and activism.
Service in World War II
Beuys was born in Krefeld, Germany, and as a youth pursued dual interests in art and the natural sciences. In 1940, at age 19, he joined the German air force. During his 5 years of service, he was wounded several times and interned in a British prisoner-of-war camp. He returned home in 1945 physically and emotionally depleted, and spent nearly a decade recuperating on a friend’s farm, where he made hundreds of drawings and small sculptures. Coming to terms with his involvement in World War II would be a lifelong process that informed much of his art.
Teaching at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, Sled
After the war, Beuys decided to dedicate himself to art. In 1961, he was appointed to a professorship at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and soon became the school’s most sought-after teacher. At the same time, he began to develop his sculptural practice. One of his best-known works from this period is Sled (1969), which he called a “survival kit”: an elemental means of transport carrying a felt blanket, a lump of fat, and a flashlight. Sled alludes to Beuys’s oft-repeated story of crashing his warplane during a blizzard and being rescued by Tatar nomads, who treated his wounds with fat and wrapped him in felt to keep him warm. Whether true or not, the story is a powerful metaphor for the rebirth of both an individual and a nation after the horrors perpetrated by National Socialism.
I Like America and America Likes Me
Beuys was also a performer who was renowned for his “actions”—heavily symbolic events that illustrated his evolving ideas about how art could play a wider role in transforming society. The best known of these is I Like America and America Likes Me (1974), in which he spent several days with a coyote in a New York gallery space. Described as a “dialogue” with the animal, the performance presented Beuys as a shaman—a spiritual leader and healer who has a special affinity with animals—who traveled to the United States to enact a symbolic reconciliation between modern American society, the natural world, and Native American culture. To emphasize the urgent need for healing these rifts, Beuys had himself transported to and from the gallery in an ambulance.
“Everyone is an artist,” Political Activism, 7000 Oaks
During the 1970s, Beuys focused much of his energy on political activism, helping to found such groups as the German Student Party, the Free International University, and the Green party, whose goals included worldwide disarmament, educational reform, and environmental stewardship. His well-known slogan, “Everyone is an artist,” was meant to suggest that social transformation could be achieved if every human being applied his or her creative energies toward positive change in cooperative activities he called “social sculptures.” His most famous of these was 7000 Oaks (1982), a massive reforestation project in which seven thousand trees were planted throughout Germany, particularly in areas destroyed by bombing during World War II. In 1997, in homage to his idea, the Walker Art Center oversaw the planting of more than 1,000 young trees in Cass Lake, St. Paul, and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Recognition and Legacy
Beuys’s work has been collected and shown widely in Europe and the United States, with major retrospectives mounted by the Guggenheim Museum (1979) and Tate Modern (2005), among others. Large collections of his multiples are held by several American institutions, including the Walker Art Center and the Broad Art Foundation in Los Angeles. In 1986, Beuys was awarded the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Prize by the city of Duisburg, Germany.
While the success of Beuys’s ambitious program has been the subject of much debate, his enormous influence on the development of postwar art is undeniable. His exploration of sculptural form and materials, his mesmerizing performances, and his ideas about the powerful potential of consciously applied creativity are still catalytic forces in the art world.
CONCEPTUAL ARTWORKS
Conceptual art can be – and can look like – almost anything. This is because, unlike a painter or sculptor who will think about how best they can express their idea using paint or sculptural materials and techniques, a conceptual artist uses whatever materials and whatever form is most appropriate to putting their idea across – this could be anything from a performance to a written description. Although there is no one style or form used by conceptual artists, from the late 1960s certain trends emerged.
Read the captions in the artworks below to find out about some of the main ways conceptual artists explored and expressed their ideas.
ENVIRONMENTAL ART
Environmental art is art that addresses social and political issues relating to the natural and urban environment.
Environmental art often takes the form of installation. The term came into use in the late 1960s and is often closely related to land art.
FLUXUS
Fluxus is an international avant-garde collective or network of artists and composers founded in the1960s and still continuing today.
Founded in 1960 by the Lithuanian/American artist George Maciunas, Fluxus began as a small but international network of artists and composers, and was characterised as a shared attitude rather than a movement. Rooted in experimental music, it was named after a magazine which featured the work of musicians and artists centred around avant-garde composer John Cage.
The Latin word Fluxus means flowing, in English a flux is a flowing out. Fluxus founder Maciunas said that the purpose of Fluxus was to ‘promote a revolutionary flood and tide in art, promote living art, anti-art’. This has strong echoes of dada, the early twentieth century art movement.
The first Fluxus event was staged in 1961 at the AG Gallery in New York and was followed by festivals in Europe in 1962. The major centres of Fluxus activity were New York, Germany and Japan.
Fluxus played an important role in opening up the definitions of what art can be. It has profoundly influenced the nature of art production since the 1960s, which has seen a diverse range of art forms and approaches existing and flourishing side-by-side.
Fluxus had no single unifying style. Artists used a range of media and processes adopting a ‘do-it-yourself’ attitude to creative activity, often staging random performances and using whatever materials were at hand to make art. Seeing themselves as an alternative to academic art and music, Fluxus was a democratic form of creativity open to anyone. Collaborations were encouraged between artists and across artforms, and also with the audience or spectator. It valued simplicity and anti-commercialism, with chance and accident playing a big part in the creation of works, and humour also being an important element.
Many key avant-garde artists in the 60s took part in Fluxus, including Joseph Beuys, Dick Higgins, Alice Hutchins, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Ben Vautier, Robert Watts, Benjamin Patterson and Emmett Williams.
Performance Still 1985, 1995 Mona Hatoum born 1952 Presented by Tate Patrons 2012 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/P80087
PERFORMANCE ART
Artworks that are created through actions performed by the artist or other participants, which may be live or recorded, spontaneous or scripted
Fantasy Theatre Factory Among First Theatres to Reopen to the Public
With new safety protocols in place, FTF helps patrons return to performing arts venues
Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater
Fantasy Theatre Factory Among First Theatres to Reopen to the Public With new safety protocols in place, FTF helps patrons return to performing arts venues MIAMI, Florida — June 26, 2020 — With the approval of Miami-Dade County, Fantasy Theatre Factory (FTF), located at the Sandrell Rivers Theater (SRT), 6103 NW 7th Avenue, will reopen to the public on Fri., July 10, 2020, with the launch of its summer film series. Soon after that, it will — once again — start to present live performances as it rolls out its new “ONE@SRT” series. In the meantime, FTF has been creating virtual programming that has been viewed by tens of thousands of South Floridians.
Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater
“We are very excited to re-open to the public after three months of producing only virtual programming,” said FTF CEO/Executive Artistic Director Larry Fields. “We are among the first of South Florida’s theaters to re-open, and we cannot wait to welcome back our loyal patrons as well as welcome new ones.” He added that the health and safety of FTF’s guests, artists and patrons remain his number one concern. “We submitted a reopening plan to Miami-Dade County, and we’re thrilled that it was approved with compliments from staff on its completeness.”
On July 10, FTF will present “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” as part of its summer Film@SRT series. The series will continue every Friday evening during the month of July, except for July 31 (the evening of the theater’s Summer Camp showcase). For a full list of movies, see the FTF website at www.ftfshows.com/film. Showtimes will be at 8 p.m., and admission will be FREE with donations appreciated. Seats are limited and must be reserved in advance on FTF’s website at www.ftfshows.com/tickets.
Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater
Although firm dates for “ONE@SRT” have yet to be determined, the series is expected to launch in August. It will showcase select solo performances in theater, dance and music. To submit entries for consideration for “ONE@SRT,” see FTF’s website at www.ftfshows.com/one. FTF encourages diverse artists to submit their work. “We hope to be able to shine a spotlight on some of the terrific diverse artists in our community with this program,” said Fields.
There are a few things returning patrons will find different at the theater, noted Fields. “Among the many steps that we’ve taken to protect the health and safety of the public and our staff, we have reduced our audience capacity from 200 to 44, we have placed markers on our floors to remind guests to maintain a distance of six feet between the members of their parties and others, and we will require everyone — patrons and staff alike — to wear masks while in the building, except when they are in their seats in the theater.
“Our goal is to make returning to the theater as safe and enjoyable as possible for everyone,” continued Fields. “We understand that these protocols can be perceived as a bit inconvenient, but we are simply complying with the guidelines put forth by the CDC, the County and the federal government. The arts can be immensely healing, and our world is deeply in need of healing, as recent events have shown. We are eager to do our part in helping with that healing process, and we ask our patrons to help, too, not only to protect themselves but also to protect others.”
What will re-opening look like for FTF patrons? • FTF has reconfigured the seats in its theater to create 12 groups of four (4) situated six (6) feet apart; patrons will be allowed to sit in groups of up to four, with only patrons from the same household sitting together (no strangers will sit next to each other); • There will be only assigned seating — no general admission tickets will be available for purchase or reservation; • Patrons will not receive printed tickets; instead, they will show their receipts on their smart phones or provide their names at the box office for confirmation; • As part of the ticketing process, each patron’s full name, telephone number and address will be collected for contact-tracing purposes; • Patrons will undergo a temperature check via forehead scan; if a patron’s temperature is above 99.6 degrees, they will not be allowed to enter the facility; • Patrons will be asked by FTF staff how they have been feeling; if they say they have not been feeling well, or if they indicate having experienced any of the symptoms of COVID-19 (i.e., fever, fatigue, coughing), they will not be allowed to enter the facility and will be issued a refund (if applicable); • Patrons will be required to wear a face mask at all times inside the facility, except when they are seated in their assigned seat; • Patrons (or related groups of patrons) will be asked to maintain a social distance of six (6) feet between themselves and other groups; • All food will be pre-packaged and beverages will be served in a can (when appropriate) or in a disposable cup with a straw-less, paper cover; • Concessions attendant will always wear a face mask and latex gloves; • A plexiglass wall has been installed at the concessions counter to create a barrier between patrons and attendant.
What has FTF done to protect the health and safety of its patrons?• Installed wall-mounted hand-sanitizer stations throughout the facility; • Hired a professional cleaning service to steam-clean and disinfect facility in accordance with CDC and EPA guidelines; • Custodial staff routinely cleans/disinfects “touch-points” (doorknobs, light switches, countertops, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc.), and community spaces using EPA-approved cleaning products and procedures while wearing face masks and disposable gloves; • Upgraded its HVAC filters to hospital-grade MERV 13 filters; • Installed CDC social-distancing signage in key areas of the facility to remind patrons of protocols, as well as to alert patrons to possible symptoms of COVID-19; • Placed social-distancing markers and arrows inside/outside the facility to help patrons maintain a safe distance between their parties and to direct the flow of traffic; • Restricted the facility’s elevator to two people per trip (signage has been posted); • Restricted the facility’s restrooms to two people at a time (signage has been posted); • FTF staff members will wear KN95 face masks at all times during public events; • FTF staff will wash/sanitize their hands every 30 minutes during public events;Employees will not be permitted to shake hands, hug or otherwise physically engage with patrons, unless emergency medical assistance is requested; • FTF staff will monitor public spaces to ensure compliance with social-distancing and other rules; if anyone refuses to comply, they will be asked to leave the premises; • Water fountains have been taped off and prohibited from use until further notice.
The protocols for the coming live performances will require performers to maintain a 16-foot distance from the audience and to wash and sanitize their hands before and after going on stage.
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About Fantasy Theatre Factory: Fantasy Theatre Factory has been serving Florida since 1982. In addition to being the managing operator of the brand-new Sandrell Rivers Theater, FTF also performs in rural and inner-city schools, theatres, parks, hospitals, community centers and more across the entire state of Florida. Fantasy Theatre Factory presents more than 500 Florida programs reaching over 150,000 people each year. Fantasy Theatre Factory’s mission is to make more quality theatre programs available to more people of all cultures and backgrounds. FTF also provides skilled circus performers for all types of events as well as theatre workshops for young audiences, both typical and individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. Fantasy Theatre Factory is headed by Executive Artistic Director, Larry Fields, who has served with the company since 2006. FTF was founded by Edward Allen and Mimi Schultz. Fantasy Theatre Factory programs are award-winning— FTF has won the Miami-Dade Arts Educator of the Year Award, the 2013 Excellence in Direct Service to Children Award from the Miami-Dade Children’s Trust, 2018 Remy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Theatre, 2019 Remy Pioneer Award, December 2019 Hero in the Arts- Key Biscayne Magazine, among many others.
Concrete Art Definition, History, Famous Artists, Abstract Paintings.
DefinitionFirst coined by the Dutch artist and designer Theo Van Doesburg (1883-1931), the term “concrete art” refers to any type of abstract art which has no figurative or symbolic references. Thus an abstract painting whose motifs or shapes are evidently derived from any natural elements, would not be considered concrete art: the picture must be wholly devoid of any naturalistic associations. As a result, most concrete art is based on geometric imagery and patterns, and is often called geometric abstraction. To use a dietary analogy: concrete art is to abstraction, as veganism is to vegetarianism – it is the purest form. The basic idea behind this sort of pure abstraction, is to create a self-contained type of art: a sort of visual form of music.
Also, geometric abstraction is in line with classical aesthetics: Plato for example maintained that the highest form of beauty lies in the ‘ideal’ concept or geometry of a thing, rather than its actual appearance in the natural world. Finally, by having nothing to do with the material world, concrete art may be viewed as possessing a spiritual dimension. It is this spiritual dimension, for example, that underlies the “infinite pattern” designs of Islamic art. It is all a far cry from the figurative humanism of the High Renaissance. Another synonym for concretism is “non-objective art“. Early pioneers of this form of avant-garde art include Kandinsky (1866-1944), Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), and Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935).
Opposed To Abstract Expressionism
In contrast to the unemotional, geometrical iconography of concrete art, abstract expressionism is a much more emotional, sentimental and derivative form of abstraction. It may not be representational, per se, but its shapes, colours and overall design is typically based on natural world associations. Thus neither Jackson Pollock’s “action-painting”, nor Willem de Kooning’s gesturalism, nor Mark Rothko’s or Barnett Newman’s “colour field painting”, is usually classified as concretism. For a comparison of Gesturalism versus Colour Field, compare Jackson Pollock’s paintings with Mark Rothko’s paintings.
History
Geometric forms of abstract painting had appeared long before the term concrete art. Islamic art, for example, is famous for its geometrical designs such as the “infinite pattern”, as are common Celtic designs such as spirals, mazes, knots. Later, 20th century movements like Cubism (1908-14), Futurism (1909-14), and De Stijl (1917-31) all used the genre, as did Kandinsky as well as schools like the Bauhaus Design School. It was also prevalent in the international section of the famous Armory Show. But the genre was given extra attention when the term first appeared in Van Doesburg’s Manifesto of Concrete Art, which was issued in Paris in 1930. Van Doesburg argued in favour of a type of abstract art that would be entirely free of any basis in observed reality – a form also devoid of any symbolic implications. He stated that: “The work of art should obtain nothing from nature’s formal properties or from sensuality or sentimentality… Technique should be mechanistic, that is to say exact and anti-impressionistic.” In effect, Doesburg wanted to create a totally independent and self-contained form of art, which focused exclusively on itself. He saw no need for any imitation of nature, or linear perspective to create a false ‘depth’ to the painting, because he thought that nothing was more concrete (or more real) than a line, a colour, or a plane (a flat area) of colour.
Sadly, Van Doesburg passed away a year after issuing his manifesto, but his ideas were continued and developed by the Abstraction-Creation group – led by the Belgian artist Georges Vantongerloo (1886-1965) and the French painters Jean Helion (1904-87) and Auguste Herbin (1882-1960) – whose members included the cream of European abstract sculptors, such as Jean Arp (1886-1966), Naum Gabo (1890-1977), El Lissitzky (1890-1941), Antoine Pevsner (1886-1962), Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) and Ben Nicholson (1894-1982). (Note: several of these artists later moved to non-geometric art forms, such as lyrical or biomorphic/organic abstraction).
Concrete art was later exemplified by the spiralling abstract sculpture of the Swiss ex-Bauhaus architect, sculptor and designer Max Bill (1908-94), who publicized and popularized the genre in his own country – notably, by organising the first international exhibition of concrete art in Basel in 1944 – and also introduced it to Italy, Argentina and Brazil. In keeping with the Swiss talent for minimalist graphic design and poster art, Bill’s works have been seen as precursors of minimalism in sculpture. There is a museum of Concrete art in Zurich, Switzerland.
Other abstract art movements include: (in Russia) Rayonism (Larionov), Suprematism (Malevich) and Constructivism (Rodchenko); (in Germany) the Bauhaus Design School; (in Holland) Neo-Plasticism and Elementarism; (in Italy) Movimento d’arte concreta (MAC); (in France) Espace; (in America) Hard Edge Painting (Ellsworth Kelly, Kenneth Noland and others); and Clement Greenberg’s Post-Painterly Abstraction, including Shaped Canvas (Frank Stella).
Two important collectors of concrete art include Solomon R Guggenheim (1861-1949), and Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979).
Famous Concrete Artists From Around The World
Here is a short list of famous abstract painters listed by country.
RUSSA Leading Russian exponents of concrete art include:
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) One of the great pioneers of abstract art. Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935) Founder of Suprematism. Mikhail Larionov (1881-1964) Founder of Rayonism. Natalya Goncharova (1881-1962) Co-founder of Rayonism (Luchism). Lyubov Popova (1889-1924) Leading Constructivist painter/designer. El Lissitzky (1890-1941) Known for his geometric-style ‘Proun’ paintings. Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) One of the leading Constructivist painters. Konstantin Medunetsky (1899-1935) Russian Constructivist artist, famous for his Colour Constructions.
NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM Leading Dutch/Belgian exponents of geometric abstraction include:
Georges Vantongerloo (1866-1965) Belgian founder member of De Stijl. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) Member of De Stijl; founder of Neo-Plasticism. Bart Van Der Leck (1876-1958) One of the founders of De Stijl. Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931) Leader of Dutch De Stijl group; invented the term ‘concrete art’.
FRANCE Leading French painters of non-objective art include:
Fernand Leger (1881-1955) Semi abstract French painter, noted for his Tubism. Auguste Herbin (1882-1960) One of the founders of Abstraction-Creation group. Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) Founder of Orphism (Simultanism). Sonia Delaunay-Turk (1885-1979) Delaunay’s wife, noted for her colourful abstract works. Jean Helion (1904-87) Signed Doesburg’s Concrete Art Manifesto; member of Abstraction-Creation.
USA Leading American geometric abstractionists include:
Tony Smith (1912-81) American abstract sculptor. Agnes Martin (1912-2004) Minimalist painter, noted for her pencilled grids. Ad Reinhardt (1913-67) Known for his parallel red, blue, black rectangles. Ellsworth Kelly (b.1923) Member of American Post Painterly Abstraction school. Kenneth Noland (b.1924) Minimalist painter concerned with colour & structure. Donald Judd (1928-94) American minimalist sculptor, collected by Charles Saatchi. Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) Influential American minimalist sculptor, conceptual artist. Robert Ryman (b.1930) American minimalist painter, noted for his white monochrome compositions. Richard Anuszkiewicz (b.1930) American Op-art painter. Carl Andre (b.1935) Minimalist sculptor specializing in geometric shapes. Frank Stella (b.1936) Minimalist painter noted for geometric hard-edge painting & shaped canvas. Sean Scully (b.1945) Irish-American painter, famous for large-size, abstract paintings.
SWITZERLAND Leading Swiss exponents of non-objective art include:
Paul Klee (1879-1940) Swiss fantasy painter. Johannes Itten (1888-1967) Swiss geometric-abstractionist. Max Bill (1908-94) Swiss artist, promoter of concrete art in Switzerland, Italy, Argentina & Brazil.
BRITAIN Leading British concrete artists include:
David Bomberg (1890-1957) British abstract painter; explored Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism. Ben Nicholson (1894-1982) Noted for his “white reliefs” – geometric abstract relief sculpture. Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) Founder with Nicholson of the St Ives School of abstraction. Peter Sedgley (b.1930) British Op-Art painter. Bridget Riley (b.1931) Leading figure in British Op-Art movement.
HUNGARY Leading Hungarian exponents of concrete art include:
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) Hungarian Constructivist painter, Bauhaus instructor. Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) Hungarian graphic artist; pioneer of kinetic art/Op-Art.
REST OF THE WORLD
Frank Kupka (1871-1957) Czech painter influenced by Futurism. Josef Albers (1888-1976) Famous for his Homage to the Square paintings. Jiro Yoshihara (1905-72) Japanese Industrialist & self-taught abstract painter. Ivan Picelj (b.1924) Croatian geometric abstractionist, leading member of group EXAT-51.
See also: Abstract Artists in Ireland.
Famous Paintings
Examples of concrete art can be seen in many of the best art museums around the world. Here is a small selection of such works, listed in chronological order of artist. For a larger list see: Abstract Paintings: Top 100.
• Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) Harmony Squares With Concentric Rings (1913, Centre Georges Pompidou)
• Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) Composition (1929, Guggenheim Museum, New York) Composition With Blue And Yellow (1932, Philadelphia Museum Of Art) Broadway Boogie-Woogie (1942, MoMA, New York)
• Bart Van Der Leck (1876-1958) Composition (1918, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam)
• Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935) Black Circle (1913, State Russian Museum, St Petersburg) Red Square (1915, State Russian Museum, St Petersburg)
• Paul Klee (1879-1940) Rhythmical (1930, Musee National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou)
• Mikhail Larionov (1881-1964) Red Rayonism (1913, The Merzinger collection, Switzerland)
• Fernand Leger (1881-1955) Composition (1924, State Russian Museum, St Petersburg)
• Theo Van Doesburg (1883-1931) Composition VIII (The Cow) (1918, MoMA, New York)
• Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) Rythme 1 (1940, Musee National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou)
• Josef Albers (1888-1976) Variation in Red (1948, Private Collection) Rain Forest (Study for Homage to the Square) (1965, Private Collection)
• Johannes Itten (1888-1967) Benign Light (1920-21, Thyssen Collection, Lugano)
• Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) Non-Objective Painting: Black on Black (1918, MoMA, New York)
• David Bomberg (1890-1957) In The Hold (1913-14, Tate Gallery, London)
• Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) Yellow Cross Q.7 (1922, Gallery of Modern art, Rome)
• Jiro Yoshihara (1905-72) To Martha’s Memory (1970, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo)
• Victor Vasarely (1908-97) Untitled (1941, Israel Museum, Jerusalem) Arny-C (1969, Artist’s Private Collection)
• Ad Reinhardt (1913-67) Abstract Painting Diptych (1959, Private Collection)
• Ellsworth Kelly (b.1923) Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red (1966, Guggenheim Museum, New York)
Non-objective art defines a type of abstract art that is usually, but not always, geometric and aims to convey a sense of simplicity and purity
The Russian constructivist painters Wassily Kandinsky and Kasimir Malevich and the sculptor Naum Gabo were pioneers of non-objective art. It and was inspired by the Greek philosopher Plato who believed that geometry was the highest form of beauty.
Non-objective art may attempt to visualise the spiritual and can be seen as carrying a moral dimension, standing for virtues like purity and simplicity. In the 1960s a group of American artists, including Sol LeWitt and Donald Judd, embraced the philosophy of non-objective art. By creating highly simplified geometric art out of industrial materials they elevated these to an aesthetic level. Their work became known as minimal art.
What Is the Definition of Non-Objective Art?
By Beth Gersh-Nesic
Non-objective art is abstract or non-representational art. It tends to be geometric and does not represent specific objects, people, or other subjects found in the natural world.
One of the best-known non-objective artists is Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), a pioneer of abstract art. Though paintings like his are most common, non-objective art can also be expressed in other media as well.
Defining Non-Objective Art
Quite often, non-objective art is used as a synonym for abstract art. However, it is a style within the category of abstract work and the subcategory of non-representational art.
Representational art is designed to represent real life, and non-representational art is the opposite. It is not meant to depict anything found in nature, instead relying on shape, line, and form with no particular subject. Abstract art can include abstractions of real-life objects such as trees, or it can be completely non-representational.
Non-objective art takes non-representational to another level. Most of the time, it includes geometric shapes in flat planes to create clean and straightforward compositions. Many people use the term “pure” to describe it.
Non-objective art can go by many names, including concrete art, geometric abstraction, and minimalism. However, minimalism can be used in other contexts as well.
Other styles of art are related or similar to non-objective art. Among these are Bauhaus, Constructivism, Cubism, Futurism, and Op Art. Some of these, such as Cubism, tend to be more representational than others.
Characteristics of Non-Objective Art
Kandinsky’s “Composition VIII” (1923) is a perfect example of non-objective painting. The Russian painter is known as one of the pioneers of this style, and this particular piece has the purity that best represents it.
You will notice the careful placement of each geometrical shape and line, almost as if it were designed by a mathematician. Though the piece has a sense of movement, no matter how hard you try, you will not find meaning or subject within it. Many of Kandinsky’s other works follow this same distinct style.
Other artists to look for when studying non-objective art include another Russian constructivist painter, Kasimir Malevich (1879–1935), along with the Swiss abstractionist Josef Albers (1888–1976). For sculpture, look to the work of Russian Naum Gabo (1890–1977) and British Ben Nicholson (1894–1982).
Within non-objective art, you will notice some similarities. In paintings, for instance, artists tend to avoid thick texture techniques like impasto, preferring clean, flat paint and brushstrokes. They may play with bold colors or, as in the case of Nicholson’s “White Relief” sculptures, be completely devoid of color.
You will also notice a simplicity in perspective. Non-objective artists are not concerned with vanishing points or other traditional realism techniques that show depth. Many artists have a very flat plane in their work, with few things to indicate that one shape is nearer or farther away from the viewer.
The Appeal of Non-Objective Art
What draws us to enjoy a piece of art? It is different for everyone, but non-objective art tends to have a rather universal and timeless appeal. It does not require the viewer to have a personal relationship with the subject, so it attracts a broader audience over many generations.
There is also something appealing about geometry and the purity of non-objective art. Since the time of the Greek philosopher Plato (ca 427–347 BCE)—whom many would say inspired this style—geometry has fascinated people. When talented artists employ it in their creations, they can give new life to the simplest of forms and show us the hidden beauty within. The art itself may seem simple, but its impact is great.
Arte concreto es una expresión acuñada en Europa, alrededor de 1930. Designa una modalidad de la abstracción que, mediante el empleo de formas geométricas y el análisis de los elementos plásticos, descarta toda referencia a un modelo a la vez que se propone desarrollar un sistema objetivo de composición.
Este movimiento surge en Francia en 1930 de la mano del pintor holandés Theo van Doesburg quién creó el término de “arte concreto” para sustituir al de arte abstracto (por lo que también es conocido como arte constructivo-abstracto o contretismo). El término fue utilizado por primera vez por Van Doesburg en el “Manifiesto del arte concreto” publicado en el primer y único número de la revista “Art Concret” editada en París, en respuesta a la formación de la asociación “Cercle et Carré”, firmaron el documento Hélion, Carlsund, Tutundjian y Wantz. Su eslogan fue “materiales reales, espacio real”. El citado manifiesto argumentaba seis puntos mediante los cuales sentaba las bases teóricas del “arte concreto”. Los planteamientos teóricos y estéticos de esta tendencia fueron puestos en práctica principalmente por el grupo Abstraction-Creation.
Van Doesburg fallece en 1931 y sus ideas son retomadas a finales de los años 30 por dos artistas suizos, Max Bill y Jean Arp, quienes publican varias obras y realizan importantes exposiciones de pintura, escultura y artes aplicadas.
Entre los seguidores de este movimiento podemos citar, entre otros, a Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931), Max Bill (1908-1994), Naum Gabo (1890-1977), Auguste Herbin (1882-1960).
Los artistas interesados en la estética abstracta se agrupan sucesivamente en tres movimientos: Cercle et Carré (1929), Art Concret (1930) y Abstraction-Création (1931-1936) unidos por un doble motivo: exhibirse como una fuerza internacional, buscando así la resistencia para enfrentarse a un público ostentosamente hostil, y plantear un debate estético al Surrealismo, movimiento con el que discrepa frontalmente. Dos exposiciones realizadas en estos años serán decisivas para la formación de estos movimientos: la exposición LE SAC (Expositors Selectes d’Art Contemporain) en el Stedelijk Museum de Amsterdam, organizada por Nelly Van Doesburg en 1929 y la exposición de arte post-cubista celebrada un año más tarde en Estocolmo, bajo la dirección de Carlsund.
Características generales del Art Concret:
Rechazo de toda relación con lo natural, lo objetivo y lo simbólico.
Utiliza la representación de ideas abstractas en una nueva realidad de carácter universal y constante.
La expresión plástica se basa, principalmente, en la línea y la superficie, relegando al color a un segundo plano.
Empleo de elementos geométricos sencillos (círculos, cuadrados, triángulos) y creación de tensiones.
La forma tiene más importancia que el color.
Composiciones geométricas formando estructuras que recuerdan construcciones o arquitecturas.
Emplea colores planos creando efectos cromáticos de espacio y vibración plástica.
Arte Concreto, remite a uno de los grupos surgidos de Arturo: en 1945 los artistas Tomás Maldonado, Edgar Bayley, Raúl Lozza y Lidy Prati se unen a Alfredo Hlito, Enio Iommi, Oscar Núñez y Simón Contreras, entre otros, para formar la Asociación Arte Concreto – Invención. El grupo realiza una muestra en casa de Grete Stern y edita en agosto de 1946 el primer número de la revista Arte Concreto. En dicho número reproducen el “Manifiesto Invencionista” —que guarda un eco del Manifiesto Comunista de Marx y Engels— en el que afirman: “La era artística de la ficción representativa toca a su fin. El hombre se torna de más en más insensible a las imágenes ilusorias. Es decir, progresa en el sentido de su integración en el mundo. Las antiguas fantasmagorías no satisfacen y las apetencias estéticas del hombre nuevo, formado en una realidad que ha exigido de él su presencia total, sin reservas. Se clausura así la prehistoria del espíritu humano” (Arte Concreto, nº 1, p. 8). El segundo número de la revista es más precario y se titula Boletín de la Asociación Arte Concreto-Invención. Es de destacar que en sus páginas los concretos responden varias críticas, y resulta particularmente interesante la polémica que sostiene Maldonado con la revista uruguaya Removedor, del Taller Torres-García.
Serie de obras de Arte Concreto del Artista visual Rafael Montilla.
Tomás Maldonado, artista plástico argentino central en las vanguardias del siglo XX, además de teórico y diseñador. Protagonista del movimiento de arte concreto en la década del 40, que postuló la emergencia de un nuevo arte basado en la geometría y el orden matemático, en el primer número de la revista “Nueva visión” (1951), por él dirigida, sostuvo: “Es falso que el arte concreto sea ajeno a todo sentimiento pictórico. Lo que en realidad sucede es que este se manifiesta aquí de un modo distinto. Es decir, no como sensualismo vulgar de la materia pictórica, sino como sensibilidad superior de la inteligencia pictórica”. Fallecido recientemente, en 2018, lo recordamos con el óleo sobre tela “Composición” (1950), una de sus obras en nuestra colección de este período, previo a su viaje a Italia, donde residió desde 1967 y desarrolló una vasta carrera docente. En 2007, el Bellas Artes le dedicó la muestra “Tomás Maldonado. Un itinerario”, que también incluyó sus trabajos realizados luego del año 2000, cuando retomó la pintura tras casi medio siglo sin practicarla.
El cantautor argentino Ramiro Quinteros presenta una canción dedicada a los inmigrantes
El tema se llama “Adiós, amigos, adiós” y se encuentra disponible en las plataformas digitales. Quinteros es guitarrista, cantante, compositor y productor. Reside en Miami, pero ha hecho el grueso de su carrera en Argentina, donde llegó a grabar dos discos (“Actitud” y “Karma y milagros”).
Ramiro Quinteros
Empezó en el mundo de la música en la adolescencia y siempre estuvo cercano al rock and roll puro, pero en años recientes ha explorado algo del pop y otros géneros. Ha realizado presentaciones en Colombia y otros países latinoamericanos y ha podido compartir escenario con figuras como Julieta Venegas y Robi Draco.
Quinteros es un artista nato, por lo cual no sorprenderá saber que ha realizado varias incursiones en la actuación, aún de bajo perfil. Fue actor en la novela “Betty en Nueva York”, de Telemundo, por ejemplo. Protagonizó la campaña publicitaria de Sailor Jerry Rum.
También participó en un videoclip de la reguetonera colombiana Tueska y uno de los raperos Lil Baby and Da Baby. “El arte me corre por las venas y todo lo que implique llegar al público y mostrarle mi esencia lo voy a realizar”, asegura. Quinteros no para y para lo que queda del 2020 tiene planificado continuar con la promoción de “Adiós, amigos, adiós”.
Montevideo, Caracas, Buenos Aires, Río de Janeiro o São Paulo, ciudades que experimentaban, a mediados del siglo pasado, un crecimiento rápido, fueron el escenario, en esa misma etapa, de indagaciones artísticas igualmente vigorosas a cargo de artistas que exploraban las fronteras del arte concreto, al que había puesto nombre Theo van Doesburg en 1930 en un manifiesto así llamado. El de Utrecht fallecería al año siguiente, pero su legado lo retomaron, en Europa, Jean Arp o Max Bill, y en Latinoamérica un buen número de artistas fundamentales de la región que mantuvieron viva su defensa de que la creación no había de servir para simular realidades virtuales o ilusorias. La máxima de los impulsores del arte concreto era: Materiales reales, espacio real.
A mediados de la década de los cuarenta, cuando Europa empezaba a salir del infierno, autores argentinos comenzaron a reinterpretar y desarrollar aquel arte concreto que Van Doesburg había iniciado en París. Rechazaron la figuración, argumentando que tendía a amortiguar la energía cognitiva del hombre y a distraerlo de sus propios poderes, y dejaron de buscar la sugestión de espacios tridimensionales en las superficies bidimensionales de los lienzos. Consideraban que todos debíamos rodearnos de objetos reales, no de ilusiones, y entendieron como la gran bondad del arte concreto el acostumbrar al individuo a relacionarse directamente con las cosas, y no con ficciones generadas a partir de ellas. Aspiraban a crear una realidad autónoma usando formas geométricas planas universales y defendían que la pintura no debería simbolizar o significar nada más allá de sí misma y que nada es más concreto o real que las líneas, los colores y las superficies.
Rechazaron la figuración, argumentando que tendía a amortiguar la energía cognitiva del hombre, y a distraerlo de sus propios poderes
A aquellos artistas argentinos que cultivaron esta corriente desde cierta proximidad cronológica con Van Doesburg, les sucedieron artistas brasileños, uruguayos y venezolanos. Especial atención merecen los primeros: a mediados de los cincuenta, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape y Helió Oiticica desafiaron, en profundidad, el concepto de la obra de arte como un objeto estático y sus incursiones en el arte concreto fueron el punto de partida para el desarrollo de producciones mucho más complejas.
Las similitudes visuales entre los trabajos de unos y otros artistas latinoamericanos vinculados a este movimiento son evidentes, pero también lo son, muchas veces, las contradicciones respecto a sus intenciones originarias. En torno al tronco común del arte concreto se generaron numerosas facciones creativas con trayectorias más o menos largas y fecundas durante cuatro décadas y esos grupos también manifestaron sus ideas, ocasionalmente utópicas, en textos y manifiestos propios que distribuían como panfletos o que publicaban en prensa o en las revistas que ellos mismos editaban.
El Moderna Museet de Estocolmo ha querido revisar unas y otras corrientes a partir de una extensa selección de obras fechadas entre los treinta y los setenta; muchas pertenecientes a la colección de Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. Hay que recordar que parte de sus fondos conformarán próximamente un museo propio en Tabacalera y que recientemente ha donado un buen número de piezas al Museo Reina Sofía, el MoMA, el Museo de Arte de Lima, el de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, el Blanton Museum of Art de Texas y el Bronx Museum of the Arts de Nueva York, con el objetivo de favorecer la investigación y difusión del arte latinoamericano.
Junto a los creadores latinoamericanos (Geraldo de Barros, Aluísio Carvão, Willys de Castro, Lygia Clark, Waldemar Cordeiro, Cruz-Díez, Judith Lauand, Raúl Lozza, Tomás Maldonado, Juan Melé, Juan Alberto Molenberg, Hélio Oiticica, Alejandro Otero, Lygia Pape, Rhod Rothfuss, Luiz Sacilotto, Iván Serpa, Jesús Rafael Soto, Torres-García o Rubem Valentim), también están representados en la muestra artistas europeos, de carrera o de origen, como Mira Schendel, Max Bill, Gyula Kosice, Gego o Anatol Wladyslaw.
Unos y otros trabajaron sumidos en una era postbélica de optimismo y cambio social, de crecimiento económico, pero también de autoritarismo político. Era habitual que poetas, músicos, arquitectos y artistas trabajasen unidos en proyectos interdisciplinares y que se inspiraran entre sí, y algunos de los manifiestos a los que nos hemos referido nacieron precisamente de esas interacciones creativas –en Estocolmo se exhiben varios de ellos–. Ciertos creadores trabajaban desde un enfoque político más evidente y crudo que otros, pero todos compartían confianza en el potencial del arte no figurativo a la hora de dar forma, valga la paradoja, a la sociedad moderna.
Más allá de las colaboraciones, hubo también entre ellos influencias en la distancia: el suizo Max Bill, que organizó la primera exposición de arte concreto en Basilea, en 1944, dejó una huella fundamental en el desarrollo del movimiento en América a partir de sus contactos con los argentinos Tomás Maldonado y Juan Melé. Además, en São Paulo pudo verse, en 1951, una retrospectiva suya que sería decisiva en la escena brasileña.
El uruguayo Torres-García, quien entabló amistad con Van Doesburg en París, sí incorporó símbolos a su obra. Ya sabéis que, tras casi cuatro décadas recorriendo Europa y Estados Unidos, regresó a su país natal en 1934 y, al año siguiente, publicó La escuela del sur, un texto en el que enfatizaba que el arte de las naciones que habían entrado rápidamente en la modernidad debía estar lleno de contenido y mantener un enlace continuo con lo popular. Animó a sus colegas a conocer el contexto global sin olvidar el local, y él mismo conjugó el constructivismo europeo con trazos precolombinos. Su compatriota Rhod Rothfuss se trasladó a Buenos Aires en 1942, donde tuvo una considerable influencia en el desarrollo del arte concreto.
En esos inicios de los cuarenta Argentina descubrió las bondades de esta corriente, en parte gracias a Maldonado y Kosice. Rothfuss escribiría en la revista Arturo que, aunque la abstracción había liberado al arte de representar la realidad desde postulados realistas, sí se adhirió a la idea de que la pintura podía ser la ventana ilusoria de acceso a otros mundos. Por eso, si los pintores abstractos manejaron sobre todo formatos rectangulares, las formas irregulares por las que apostaron los concretos fueron otra vía más para la ruptura.
En Venezuela, después de que la Junta Militar tomara en 1948 el poder, muchos artistas, Jesús Rafael Soto entre ellos, partieron hacia París, donde se unieron al colectivo Los Disidentes, que años antes había creado Alejandro Otero.
A diferencia de muchos de sus contemporáneos, Soto no estaba interesado en el movimiento mecánico y sus posibilidades plásticas, sino en el dinamismo humano y ocular. Sus trabajos cambian de apariencia a medida que el espectador se desplaza en torno a ellos. Cruz-Diez también ahondaría en las interacciones entre arte y espectador, a través del color y de proyectos interactivos en los que el público podía alterar la posición de sus elementos.
Por su parte, Gego, que había llegado a Venezuela en 1939 escapando del nazismo, comenzó a utilizar en los sesenta alambre, papel y hierro para crear dibujos tridimensionales. Sus instalaciones de cables crean también nuevos nexos entre líneas, formas y espacios.
Juscelino Kubitschek quiso condensar en Brasil medio siglo de desarrollo en cinco años y Brasilia y Niemeyer fueron, en los sesenta, emblema de esa transformación social radical. Sin embargo, los principales núcleos artísticos del país continuaron siendo São Paulo y Río de Janeiro. En el Museo de Arte de São Paulo, inaugurado en 1947, se expuso a Alexander Calder, Le Corbusier y Max Bill. Cuando el Grupo Ruptura se lanzó en São Paulo en 1952, sus miembros, incluidos Waldemar Cordeiro, Geraldo de Barros, Luíz Sacilotto, Judith Lauand y Anatol Władysław, se dejaron influir decisivamente, de nuevo, por Bill. Rechazaron el naturalismo en pos de un enfoque analítico y teórico del arte, y la lógica y las matemáticas fueron sus herramientas para comprender y representar la realidad objetiva. Las superficies lisas de materiales industriales enfatizaban que la obra de arte era independiente del artista.
1954 fue el año del lanzamiento del Grupo Frente, cuyo gran impulsor fue Iván Serpa, quien propuso un uso más experimental y exploratorio del arte concreto. A este colectivo se ligaron Lygya Clark, Lygia Pape, Aluísio Carvão y Oiticica, y el crítico Mário Pedrosa, amigo personal de muchos de ellos a quien el Reina Sofía dedicó una reciente exposición, teorizó sobre sus creencias en el poder revolucionario y regenerador del arte. Subrayó que este debería enseñar a las personas a “ejercitar plenamente sus sentidos y moldear sus propias emociones”.
A finales de los cincuenta, algunos miembros de Frente se propusieron alcanzar la fusión de arte y vida. Sus ideas se plasmaron en el Manifiesto Neoconcreto de 1959 escrito por Ferreira Gullar y firmado por, entre otros, Clark, Pape, Oiticica y Franz Weissmann. Estos artistas se opusieron a la creciente interpretación racionalista del arte concreto, afirmando que a la teoría se le daba demasiada importancia y el arte se confundía con la ciencia. Fuertemente influenciados por la fenomenología del filósofo Maurice Merleau-Ponty, abogaron por que todos los sentidos, y no solo la vista, fueran necesarios para experimentar la creación. Sus pinturas y esculturas se trasladaron entonces de las paredes y plintos a los suelos y se animó a los espectadores a tocarlas y transformarlas. En algún caso desarrollaron proyectos en el espacio público, convirtiendo a los viandantes en parte del proceso. El ejemplo más claro es el de Hélio Oiticica, que colaboró con una escuela de samba en una favela en Río; sus parangolés son “mantos” que la gente puede usar para bailar y vivir.
El arte concreto también llegó a Suecia. Otto G. Carlsund fue uno de los miembros del grupo fundado por Van Doesburg en París y, en buena medida gracias a él, obras de aquel y de Mondrian formaron parte de la Stockholm Exhibition de 1930. Sin embargo, en este país la corriente no se desarrolló de forma pura, sino con tintes figurativos o abstractos (Lennart Rodhe, Olle Bonniér). Quizá quien se mantuvo más fiel a las esencias fue Olle Bærtling, que en 1959 participó en la Bienal de São Paulo. Algunos trabajos de todos ellos, procedentes de los propios fondos del Moderna Museet, forman parte de la exposición.
Si Estocolmo nos queda lejos, siempre podemos acercarnos a la Fundación Banco Santander. El arte concreto brasileño tiene una presencia importante en la exposición que esta institución dedica a la colección Montenegro.
Concrete art is abstract art that is entirely free of any basis in observed reality and that has no symbolic meaning.
The term was introduced by artist Theo van Doesburg in his 1930 Manifesto of Concrete Art. The manifesto was published in the first and only issue of the magazine Art Concret. He stated that there was nothing more concrete or more real than a line, a colour, or a plane (a flat area of colour).
The Swiss artist Max Bill later became the flag bearer for concrete art organising the first international exhibition in Basle in 1944. He stated that the aim of concrete art is to create ‘in a visible and tangible form things which did not previously exist – to represent abstract thoughts in a sensuous and tangible form’.
