Joan Josep Tharrats

JOAN JOSEP THARRATS I VIDAL (Girona, 1918–Barcelona, 2001).
"Composition," circa 1955.
Ink and collage on paper.
Signed.
Measurements: 23 x 17 cm; 32.5 x 28.5 cm (frame).

A work on paper created around 1955, in which Joan Josep Tharrats constructs a composition of great graphic refinement using ink, collage, and printmaking techniques. The main motif—a large black disc situated on the left—dominates the surface like a magnetic, almost astral form, traversed by a concentric texture that draws the eye to its center. Surrounding it, curved lines, horizontal strokes, dotted lines, and mechanically rendered marks create a dynamic tension between the emptiness of the paper and the density of the ink.

In contrast to other, more material or baroque compositions, Tharrats presents here an essential image, built on the contrast between black and white, between mark and silence. The large circle functions as a center of gravity, while the lateral patterns and scattered signs introduce a rhythmic, almost musical vibration. The work reveals his interest in automatic processes, the printed image, and experimentation with textures—central aspects of his evolution toward Informalism.

Joan Josep Tharrats i Vidal was a painter, art theorist, publisher, and a key figure in the postwar Catalan artistic renewal. He was a driving force behind the Dau al Set group and magazine, alongside Joan Brossa, Modest Cuixart, Joan Ponç, Arnau Puig, and Antoni Tàpies. His work evolved from an abstraction with surrealist roots toward Informalism, featuring a highly personal language based on technical and material experimentation, particularly in his “maculaturas.” His work is represented in collections such as the MACBA in Barcelona, the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, the MoMA and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Tate Gallery in London.