Biography
Waddington Galleries presents an exhibition of recent paintings by Antoni Tàpies. The sixteen works range in scale from the smallest wooden panel ‘Oval Vermell’ (Red Oval), at 1 x 1½ feet, to the monumental ‘Pais d’Avatamsaka’ (Land of Avatamsaka) at 8 x 17 feet.
The word ‘tàpies’ translates from Catalan as walls and the notion of a wall has influenced how Tàpies has approached painting since the mid-fifties, when in Paris he discovered Brassai’s photographs of walls emblazoned with graffiti. For Tàpies the idea and image of the wall, whether as a symbol of spiritual solitude or political and religious suppression, holds a multitude of meanings. In his 1970 essay ‘Communication on the wall’, Tàpies lists some of its associations as prison, the passing of time, signs of human imprints, the romantic prestige of ruins, inner contemplation… Walls also resonate with the medieval architecture of the towering buildings in the Gothic quarter of his home city, Barcelona – visually alluded to in the painting ‘A+M’, for example, illustrated above, with its dominating vertical format and solid crusted-material surface, inviting of mark-making.
These marks often appear an amalgam of Eastern calligraphy and Western graffiti. The painting ‘T negra’ (Black T) features the letter T which is frequently cited in Tàpies’ work and has numerous connotations – from the obvious reference to the leading letter of his surname and also his wife’s first name, Teresa, it also acts as a pictographic symbol of the cross, one of the oldest ceremonial symbols found in almost every culture. When the lines of the T overlap it becomes a mathematical symbol or geographical position; a kiss; a candidate’s vote; a mark of faith and also an erasure.
作品
-
Antoni Tàpies, Oval vermell / Red oval, 2007 paint and pencil on wood 15 x 18 1/8 in / 38 x 46 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Cap / Head, 2007 mixed media on wood 21 1/4 x 25 5/8 in / 54 x 65 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Creu i dos peus / Cross and two feet, 2007 mixed media on wood 35 x 45 3/4 in / 89 x 116 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, a = a, 2005 paint, collage and assemblage on canvas 91 3/8 x 157 1/2 in / 232 x 400 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Cos i bastó / Body and stick, 2005 mixed media and assemblage on wood 25 5/8 x 40 5/8 in / 65 x 103.2 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Sóc terra / I am earth, 2004 mixed media on canvas 69 x 78 3/4 in / 175 x 200 cm
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EAntoni%20T%C3%A0pies%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title%22%3E%3Cem%3ES%C3%B3c%20terra%20%2F%20I%20am%20earth%3C%2Fem%3E%2C%202004%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Emixed%20media%20on%20canvas%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E69%20x%2078%203%2F4%20in%20%2F%20175%20x%20200%20cm%3C%2Fdiv%3E -
Antoni Tàpies, Gat / Cat, 2004 mixed media on canvas 35 1/8 x 45 5/8 in / 89.2 x 116 cm
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EAntoni%20T%C3%A0pies%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title%22%3E%3Cem%3EGat%20%2F%20Cat%3C%2Fem%3E%2C%202004%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Emixed%20media%20on%20canvas%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E35%201%2F8%20x%2045%205%2F8%20in%20%2F%2089.2%20x%20116%20cm%3C%2Fdiv%3E -
Antoni Tàpies, Signes sobre matèria / Signs on matter, 2006 mixed media on wood 31 7/8 x 39 3/8 in / 81 x 100 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, T negra / Black T, 2007 mixed media on canvas 57 1/2 x 44 7/8 in / 146.2 x 114 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Lletres sobre gran matèria / Letters on large matter, 2007 mixed media on wood 63 x 126 in / 160 x 320 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Sammarreta i mitjó / T-shirt and sock, 2007 paint and collage on canvas 31 7/8 x 39 3/8 in / 81 x 100 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, País d'Avatamsaka / Land of Avatamsaka, 2001 mixed media and collage on wood 100 3/8 x 212 1/2 in / 255 x 540 cm
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EAntoni%20T%C3%A0pies%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title%22%3E%3Cem%3EPa%C3%ADs%20d%27Avatamsaka%20%2F%20Land%20of%20Avatamsaka%3C%2Fem%3E%2C%202001%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3Emixed%20media%20and%20collage%20on%20wood%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E100%203%2F8%20%20x%20212%201%2F2%20in%20%2F%20255%20x%20540%20cm%3C%2Fdiv%3E -
Antoni Tàpies, 8 +, 2007 mixed media on wood 31 7/8 x 45 3/4 in / 81 x 116 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Pren el te / Have a cup of tea, 2007 paint on wood 31 7/8 x 39 3/8 in / 81 x 100 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, A + M, 2007 mixed media on wood 78 3/4 x 67 in / 200 x 170 cm
-
Antoni Tàpies, Boca sobre tors / Mouth on torso, 2007 paint and pencil on wood 63 x 51 1/8 in / 160 x 130 cm