Tuesday, November 18, 2008

FANTASY UNCOILED: Prints by CoBrA Artists

Anton Rooskens ( Dutch, 1906-1976)
Untitled (detail)
color lithograph on paper

Mogens Balle ( Dutch, 1921-1988)
Untitled (detail)
color lithograph on paper

Eugene Brands ( Dutch, 1913-2002)
No. 11
color lithograph on paper

"In 1949 the Surrealists met in Paris to establish a plan of international collaboration. The artists from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam were bitterly disappointed in what they viewed as Surrealism's suffocating intellectualism, and they penned their own manifesto. Calling themselves CoBrA (an acronym for their cities of origin) they sought to combat sterile and dogmatic theories through childlike spontaneity and instinctive imagery."

CoBrA only lasted for three years, yet the three artists in this exhibition continued a lifelong commitment to its goals. There are 12 prints from each of the 3 artists in this exhibition, and each of the 36 prints in this exhibition is a stunning example of unfettered creativity --- bold strokes, bright colors, abstract whimsy.

An excerpt from the CoBrA Manifesto reads "The more perfectly defined the form, the less active the onlooker." I was so moved by this quote. In one sentence it sums up exactly what I try to achieve in my artwork and why. This exhibition was the highlight of the day for me!

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