Luis Feito

LUIS FEITO LÓPEZ (Madrid, 1929-2021).
Untitled.
Ink on paper.
Signed and stamped.
Measurements: 50 x 66,5 cm; 65,5 x 81,5 cm (frame).

His work is characterized by a constant tension between control and impulse, between the serenity of space and the violence of gesture. In this work, Feito achieves an essential synthesis of his language, by concretizing the expressive tension between control and impulse. The gesture, executed with broad and sure brushstrokes, recalls oriental calligraphy. The economy of means (black and white or empty) enhances the expressive value of the gesture, converted into a meditative act.

Born and trained in Madrid, he was one of the founding members of the El Paso group. In 1954 he had his first solo exhibition, with non-figurative works, at the Buchholz gallery in Madrid. From that moment on Feito exhibited regularly in the most important cities of the world, such as Paris, Milan, New York, Helsinki, Tokyo and Rome. Appointed professor of the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1954, two years later he leaves teaching and goes to Paris with a scholarship, in order to study the current avant-garde movements. During this period he was influenced by automatism and matter painting. In 1962 he became a founding member of the El Paso group, with which he had lost contact during his years in Paris. His first works are inscribed within figurative painting, to then go through a phase in which he experiments with cubism, and finally fully enter into abstraction. At the beginning he only used black, ochre and white colors, but when he discovered the potential of light, he began to use more vivid colors and smooth planes. He evolved to use red as a counterpoint in his compositions (since 1962) and, in general, more intense colors. In his abstract phase, which includes the 1970s, Feito shows a clear tendency towards simplification, with the circle predominating in his compositions as a geometric form. Possibly, the influence of Japanese art can be seen in his preference for large bands of black. Most of his works are untitled, so they are usually recognized by a number assigned to them. Among his awards is his appointment as Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 1985. In 1998 he received the Gold Medal of Fine Arts in Madrid, and was appointed Full Member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. In 2000 he was awarded the Prize of the Spanish Association of Art Critics at the Estampa Salon, in 2002 the AECA Grand Prize for the best international artist at ARCO, in 2003 the prize for the most relevant artist at the Osaka Art Fair (Japan), in 2004 the Prize for the Culture of Plastic Arts of the Community of Madrid, in 2005 the Francisco Tomás Prieto Prize of the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre, and in 2008 the Jorge Alió Foundation Prize and the Grand Prize for Spanish Contemporary Art CESMAI. Luis Feito is represented in the most important museums around the world, including the Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Guggenheim, the MoMA and the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, the Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Montreal, the Lissone in Italy and the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo.