Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES PUIG (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012).
"Cercle".
Etching, aquatint and carborundum engraving illuminated by hand with acrylic paint, copy P/T.
Signed and justified in pencil.
Work documented in Galfetti, M and Homs, N. (2002). Obra Gráfica Tàpies (1979 - 1986) . Editorial Gustavo Gili, p.74. n.779.
Measurements: 80 x 118 cm.

This large format engraving, titled "Cercle", is a representative work of Antoni Tàpies' artistic maturity, in which he condenses his characteristic material language and his deep symbolic universe. Made through a complex combination of techniques, and illuminated by hand by the artist, the piece stands out for its gestural strength and its ability to evoke a transcendent sense from primordial elements. It is a workshop test, which gives it an added value of experimentation and closeness to the creative process.

The composition is dominated by a large black circle, textured, which is superimposed on a large white cross with wide arms that structures the space, providing a counterpoint of light and flatness against the density of the circle. The background, of an earthy tone, is intervened with scratches, incisions and splashes in the form of graphics. These strokes evoke the passage of time, ancestral inscriptions or urban graffiti, giving the work a tactile quality.

Symbolism is crucial in this composition. First, the circle as a universal symbol of totality. In this work, it acts as a magnetic field that encloses and protects the other elements, defining a space for meditation. Its rough materiality distances it from an ideal geometric perfection and brings it closer to the organic and earthly. As for the cross, for Tàpies it becomes an enigma about life and death. On the other hand, the shape evokes a capital letter 'T', the initial of his surname and, more intimately, a tribute to his wife, Teresa. It is, at the same time, a signature and an anchor to his own identity. Finally, the X hanging from the upper inner part of the circle represents the mystery, the mathematical unknown, the unknown. In short, "Cercle" is a work of great power that invites the viewer to a deep contemplation.

Antoni Tàpies was initiated in art during his long convalescence from a lung disease. He progressively devoted himself more intensely to drawing and painting, and finally left his law studies to devote himself entirely to art. Co-founder of "Dau al Set" in 1948, he began to exhibit in the Salones de Octubre in Barcelona, as well as in the Salón de los Once held in Madrid in 1949. After his first individual exhibition in the Layetanas Galleries, he travels to Paris in 1950, with a scholarship from the French Institute. In these years he began his participation in the Venice Biennial, exhibited again at the Layetanas and, after a show in Chicago, in 1953 he had a solo exhibition at Martha Jackson's gallery in New York. From then on, his exhibitions, both group and solo, were held all over the world, in leading galleries and museums such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. He has won awards such as the Prince of Asturias, the Praemium Imperiale of the Japan Art Association, the National Prize of Culture, the Grand Prix de Painting of France, etc., and anthologies have been dedicated to him in Tokyo (1976), New York (1977 and 2005), Rome (1980), Amsterdam (1980), Madrid (1980), Venice (1982), Milan (1985), Vienna (1986) and Brussels (1986). He is represented in major museums around the world, such as the foundation that bears his name in Barcelona, the Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim in Berlin, Bilbao and New York, the Fukoka Art Museum in Japan, the MoMA in New York and the Tate Gallery in London.