Georges Mathieu
Tribute to Adam Parvipontanus
Artist
Georges Mathieu
(1921, Boulogne sur Mer - 2012, Boulogne Billancourt), French
Original Title
Hommage à Adam du Petit Pont
Date1954
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions97 × 195 cm
Classifications
paintings
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionGeorges Mathieu is considered one of the most important pioneers of lyrical abstraction. He is also commonly associated with the broader artistic current of art informel, a term coined by prominent French art critic and curator Michel Tapié, who was Mathieu’s long-term friend and supporter. Mathieu was a self-taught artist, theoretician, and editor; a highly educated individual, he studied mathematics, literature, law, and foreign languages, including English, Latin, Greek, Spanish, and Russian. During the tail end of World War II, he developed his style of abstract painting based on experimentation, total freedom of expression, the absence of a pre-conceived vision, and the powerful projection of emotion and energy. He then refined the technical precision of his style in 1950, terming it “non-figuration psychique” and “abstraction lyrique”. His dripped painting technique entailed a gestural approach to paint, applied directly from the tube. This aesthetic saw Mathieu abandon the traditional craft of painting and the Greco-Roman humanist tradition. The creative process and expressive qualities of his work represented a rejection of painterly conventions and were heavily influenced by Japanese calligraphy, permeated by meditation, focus, improvisation, and speed. The opulence, decor, and elegance of his paintings was conceived as a protest against contemporary society and its homogenous conformity. In 1954, Mathieu began using large-format canvases and approaching the process of painting as a public artwork. The nature of these eccentric events foreshadowed the happenings and action painting of the 1960s. The performative dimension of his practice was further reinforced by accompanying live music, dance, and even martial arts, as well as the presence of viewers and cameras. The gestures through which Mathieu interacted with the canvas were sometimes fast and violent, other times slow and ritualistic. The act of painting was based on entering a trance-like state and required his entire bodily energy, both physical and spiritually.
Hommage à Adam du Petit Pont (Homage to Adam du Petit Pont; 1954) is one of Mathieu’s countless zen canvases based on a minimal, gestural intervention on the monochromatic foundation layer of the canvas. In this piece, he uses a single, prominent brush stroke to achieve maximal expression. According to Mathieu, such expression through a singular, autonomous mark facilitated a unique, intense effect. The meditative, poetic dimension of the intuitive, silent focus of the white stroke is buttressed by the sophisticated colouring of the canvas, which differs from his usual colourist palette. The painting’s title refers to the important philosopher and spiritualist Adam Parvipontanus, also known as Adam du Petit Pont, who lived in Paris during the second half of the 12th century. He achieved widespread renown with his writings on logic; he was also the founder of a school of logicians called the Parvipontians.
Georges Mathieu (1921, Boulogne-sur-Mer – 2012, Paris) began painting in 1942, having previously studied literature and philosophy. Mathieu travelled to and worked in Japan, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, and the Middle East, but spent the majority of his time in Paris. Already during the 1950s, he received international attention, with his work featuring in several shows. His first solo exhibition took place in 1950 at the Galerie René Drouin in Paris; two years later, in 1952, the Stable Gallery hosted his first exhibition in New York City. In 1959, Mathieu’s works were presented at documenta 2 in Kassel, Germany. His first major retrospective exhibitions were held at the Musée d’ArtModerne in Paris (1963) and the Grand Palais in Paris (1978). His work is held in the most prominent museums worldwide, including: the Art Institute of Chicago; the Guggenheim Museum in New York City; the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Kunstmuseum Basel; the Musée National d’ArtModerne, Paris; the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton; the Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles; the Bezalel-Museum, Jerusalem. Mathieu elaborated his conception of art in the essay Analogie de la non-figuration (The Analogy of Non-Figuration, 1949) and the books Au-delà du tachisme (After Tachisme, 1963) and Le Privilége d´Etre (The Privilege of Being, 1967).
Hommage à Adam du Petit Pont (Homage to Adam du Petit Pont; 1954) is one of Mathieu’s countless zen canvases based on a minimal, gestural intervention on the monochromatic foundation layer of the canvas. In this piece, he uses a single, prominent brush stroke to achieve maximal expression. According to Mathieu, such expression through a singular, autonomous mark facilitated a unique, intense effect. The meditative, poetic dimension of the intuitive, silent focus of the white stroke is buttressed by the sophisticated colouring of the canvas, which differs from his usual colourist palette. The painting’s title refers to the important philosopher and spiritualist Adam Parvipontanus, also known as Adam du Petit Pont, who lived in Paris during the second half of the 12th century. He achieved widespread renown with his writings on logic; he was also the founder of a school of logicians called the Parvipontians.
Georges Mathieu (1921, Boulogne-sur-Mer – 2012, Paris) began painting in 1942, having previously studied literature and philosophy. Mathieu travelled to and worked in Japan, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, and the Middle East, but spent the majority of his time in Paris. Already during the 1950s, he received international attention, with his work featuring in several shows. His first solo exhibition took place in 1950 at the Galerie René Drouin in Paris; two years later, in 1952, the Stable Gallery hosted his first exhibition in New York City. In 1959, Mathieu’s works were presented at documenta 2 in Kassel, Germany. His first major retrospective exhibitions were held at the Musée d’ArtModerne in Paris (1963) and the Grand Palais in Paris (1978). His work is held in the most prominent museums worldwide, including: the Art Institute of Chicago; the Guggenheim Museum in New York City; the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Kunstmuseum Basel; the Musée National d’ArtModerne, Paris; the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton; the Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles; the Bezalel-Museum, Jerusalem. Mathieu elaborated his conception of art in the essay Analogie de la non-figuration (The Analogy of Non-Figuration, 1949) and the books Au-delà du tachisme (After Tachisme, 1963) and Le Privilége d´Etre (The Privilege of Being, 1967).
Otakar Kubín
Otakar Kubín
