Catalan Artists at Exp0'92
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CATALAN ARTISTS AT EXP0'92 RAFAEL BARTOLOZZI. TOT UN ESTIU, 198 1 25 CATALANARTISTS ARE EXHIBITING THEIR WORK AT THE CATALANPAVILION AT EXPO'92, THE UNIVERSALEXHIBI- TION TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR IN SEVILLE.CATALONIA PRE- SENTS IN THIS SPECIAL DOSSIER AN ARTICLE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN THE MAGAZINE 6LC~~~~~~w-0F THE DEPART- MENT OF CULTUREOF THE GENERALITATDE CATALUNYA-, WHICH PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE ARTISTS AND PRE- SENTS A CRITICAL COMMENTARY ON THEIR WORK. J. CORREDOR-MATHEOS AUTHOR AND CRlTlC ZUSH. LA TREGUA. 1986 wenty-five exhibitions. A uni- A country's art is as much that belong- pieces-, the high points of Catalan art, versal exhibition is always an ing to the historical heritage, that from the Romanesque, at the time of excellent occasion for projecting which has achieved a certain indisputa- the very formation of Catalonia as a not only industrial and technical pro- ble quality, as that which is being pro- nation, and the Gothic, to the wealth of ducts, but cultural products too. In the duced at the present moment. In select- the twentieth century, always with a res- past, this has always been understood ing what is already historical heritage, trictive criterion limited to the greatest by a great diversity of countries, who the problem raised is one of representa- international figures. have presented their painters, sculptors tiveness and choice. The present, nat- The general curator of the pavilion, and other artists in specially designed urally, is more risky and, by definition, Francesc Sanuy, who has seen the whole buildings. This is also the way Catalo- disputable. project through with great drive and nia has understood it in the case of its The historical selection, in the case of taste, wanted the presence of today's participation in the Expo at Seville the Catalan pavilion, sets out to show, artists -that is, living artists- to form a '92. with a small sample -twelve, fifteen succession. In view of the number of SERGl AGUILAR. IT N.O 3, 1989 PEREJAUME. WATZMANN. 1988 weeks the exhibition lasts, there could tions, twenty-five would seem to be in- me (J.M. Llompart), Tom Carr (Gloria also be twenty-five invited artists. The sufficient and makes it impossible to Moure) and Antoni Clavé (Manuel Vaz- challenge was, and is, a great one: to include others who we also feel deserve quez Montalbán). present twenty-five exhibitions, each of to be present. We also plan to publish a folder of which was to last only seven days. A The names of these twenty-five artists, lithographs in the usual limited edition, challenge for the organisers, an effort for with their presenters, in the order that which will serve as a souvenir and as a the Generalitat de Catalunya, and also has been established, are as follows: An- gift for some of the important figures for the artists. Each exhibition will have toni Tapies (J. Corredor-Matheos), Al- who visit our pavilion, with the particu- its own catalogue, and the presenter bert Rafols-Casamada (Antoni Mari), larity that there will be twenty-four -the critic or writer chosen by the Josep Guinovart (Angel Crespo), Joan lithographs and that Tapies will be re- artist- will also have the job of making an Hernandez-Pijuan (M. Teresa Blanch), sponsible for the conception and the oral presentation on the day of the inau- Xavier Corberó (Luis Goytisolo), Fre- work of the folder that will contain guration. In the selection and other deric Amat (Vicenc Altaió), Joan Pere them. Another object that will be used work in the artistic sphere which corre- Viladecans (Josep Miquel García), Jo- as a gift for other people and institu- sponded to me, 1 have had the collabora- sep M. Subirachs (Francesc Fontbona), tions it is intended to distinguish will be tion of two advisers, Cesáreo Rodrí- Montserrat Gudiol (Francesc Miralles), a medal -not at al1 conventional- pro- guez-Aguilera and Daniel Giralt-Mira- Moises Villklia (M. Lluisa Borras), duced by Antoni Clavé. cle. The selection has, of course, presen- Eduard Arranz Bravo (Luis Casado), This is the programme as laid out by ted great problems, because of the large Sergi Aguilar (Menene Gras), Rafael the president of the Generalitat de Ca- number of Catalan artists and the fact Bartolozzi (Joan Abelló), Carles Pazos talunya, Jordi Pujol, at the presentation that we wanted the exhibition to be re- (Victoria Combalía), Antoni Llena (Ma- of the project for the pavilion and the presentative of the generations that nuel Borja). Modest Cuixart (Cesáreo activities thzt will take place there. We coincide at these moments and that cov- Rodríguez-Aguilera), J.J. Tharrats (Da- are sure that the work al1 this has in- er fifty years of the life of Catalonia: niel Giralt-Miracle), Xavier Grau volved will be repaid by an exhibit which, from those who made themselves (Anna Guasch), Francesc Artigau (Mi- thanks to the merits of our creators, will known before the civil war, to the que1 Molins), Marcel Martí (Arnau be a brilliant one and one representa- young people who are beginning to Puig), Robert Llimós (Rafael Santos tive of the rich reality our art has had achieve recognition. Under these condi- Torroella), Zush (Mane1 Clot), Perejau- and continues to have. DOSS-IER- TAPIES. CAMA. 1988 MlXED TECHNIQUE ON PAPER, 64.5 x 50 CM RAFOLSCASAMADA. ARGONAUTES, 1983. ACRYLICICANVAS. 1 bu x 100 CM HERNANDEZPIJUAN. LA CASA DESDE 1A QUE SE MIRA El CAMPO. 011 ONARCHES PAPER, 157 x 120 CM MR. EMPTY HEAD, 1988. BASALT, 147 x 59 x 56 CM ROCINANTE. THE HORSE. BASALT. 22 1 x 87 x 7 1 CM the bank of Tapies's art the everyday of Fine Arts. Beginning in the sixties he world is illuminated with a new light. To moved towards still life and introduced move around this terrain we have to isolated objects; these years saw his learn to get to grips with symbols, a gradual discovery of the landscape ANTONI TAPIES profound language that calls for the use theme. The space is measured to the last (Barcelona, 19231 of al1 our powers and that allows us to millimetre and the painting based on a understand otherwise unexplainable study of colour, light and movement; One of the founders, in 1948, of Dau al phenomena. Crosses, letters, numbers, subsequently he introduced large mo- Set, he held his first individual exhibition different signs, open wounds in the mat- nochrome fields using vibratile, atmo- at the Galeries Laietanes in 1950. Since ter, the matter itself in its transparency, spheric brushstrokes; later he returned then his work has been exhibited in many the elements it incorporates, a treat- to insinuated figurative references. galleries al1 over the world. Tapies, on ment that seems to be not the work of His recent work has gradually acquired the basis of a magical figura- man but of the ages of his countless nakedness and emptiness, synthesis tive art, introduced lnformalism into our agents... Everything is what it appears and formal brevity, which are translated country, used mixed procedures of al1 to be and, furthermore, a symbol that into a state of spiritual deliquescence. kinds (sand, cloth, strawl, as well as must be apprehended and known, not collage. During the sixties he continued deciphered. to work in the sphere of research; the The way he contemplates what is real ... What are we told about landscape by ~rincipalinnovations were his political through art lies outside the mainstream large, lobulate forms that catch the flush references with the use of symbols and of today's culture, in which matter, of the dense ochre space on which they words written on the canvas or other viewed in its possible opacity, reveals an seem to float? What idea of vegetation support. Tapies makes use of the usual impoverishment of our vision. In spite of do we get from a large inflated brush- range of tones, where colour is used as the widespread recognition Tapies has stroke or a slender outline, one pushing, a support, but basically as a medium. achieved and the influence he has had the other cutting the infinitely empty His calligraphy, his rich graphic rep- on the art of our time, he is as much thicknesses? Which is the house, or is it, ertory, the influence of the space, the inside it as outside. Just as our view of perhaps, a tree? The stretched tension sensuous treatment of the material and the the everyday world would be different reaches right to the edges... refined use of the chromatic ranges are without him, so would art today if this Al1 this is understanding of the land- a demonstration of his mastery of an great Catalan artist had not taught us to scape, an understanding of landscape as a expressive language that confers on the see reality with a vision that is as pictorial equivalent, linked to a sense of spectator a broad sense of dialogue ancient as it is new... monochromy, of emptiness and minute- and of profound introspective identifi- ness, which has given Joan Hernandez cation. J. Corredor-Matheos Pijuan a solitary position, as praise- worthy as it is impregnable, in the Cata- Ion art world. His long pictorial career, .. The pictures in this exhibition do not covering more than thirty years, is remove us from the world we know. based on the idea of a contemporary view These surfaces are signs that are fami- of landscape: a living alchemy of mea- liar to us and at the same time myste- surable space. rious. Teaching us to see that which lies His brushes laboriously travel the before us and which we have not seen space, they clean it, they fill it with exquisi- is a merit of Antoni Tapies.