Madrid 2010

20101208

After a week vacation in Madrid I started working on my line and fill.

Before this enjoyable week I started to work with my assigned Heroes; Cy Twombly and Alexander Calder.

Cy Twombly did make large calligraphic artworks. Could I write with or in paint?

Alexander Calder worked with large flat metal shapes (red, yellow, blue and black).  To my, the mobile/statue created out of these hard flat shapes appeared as organic, like a dinosaur, a deer or a fish. Could I “slice up” a picture in flat shapes (and lines of wire for the mobile) and paint an new image?

After two weeks I did not get anywhere.

Well I made:

What to do with my Heroes?

From 27 November to 5 December I went to Madrid.

I went to several museums: Thyssen Bornemisza, Reina Sofia and the Prado.

I skip the list with the artists and work I saw.

I can’t tell which painting impressed me most. Only the Dutch winter landscapes were the trip more then worthwhile. And what to say about Arlequín Con Espejo (Picasso) or De Tuin Der Lusten (Bosch/El Bosco) or Christo Resucitado (Bramantino) or …

I did see two works of Alexander Calder.

I would expect a 3D effect. But the wonder of Calders work is that although you can walk through it, have a look at is from all sides and it moves in the wind. And it does change shape when you walk around or underneath it, the lovely creature changes shape. So you know (scientifically) this must be three-dimensional but alas your eyes cannot see this.

I noticed something else. Calder did moult the space in and around the object.

For me this meant painting the “white” canvas.   

A first results: