Lyrical and Geometric Abstraction

March 29, 2024 Razvan Chiorean

The post-war European painting scene seen through the lens of artists like Nicolas de Staël, Bissière, and Serge Poliakoff, whose abstracted interpretations and gestural approaches reflect a drive to break free from spiritual constraints.

Gestural approach of Hans Hartung, highlighting the connection to North-American Abstract Expressionism and the urgency to break free from spiritual constraints.

The aftermath of the two World Wars resulted in a migration wave that reshaped the hubs of modern art. New York rose to prominence as the foremost reference point in the post-war era, overshadowing Paris, which relinquished its position as the primary art capital of the twentieth century. In 1952, critic Charles Estienne coined the term "Nouvelle École de Paris," marking a pivotal moment. By the late 1940s, figures from the 1920s and '30s had returned to the city, forming the backdrop for the emergence of art informel.

Amid various artistic movements, an organic and lyrical abstract trend flourished, reacting against the established geometric abstractionism tradition. Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, transitioning into this new Parisian milieu in 1947, created "Composition" in 1948, extending her exploration of pictorial space. Her work, like that of her contemporaries, exhibited a fluctuation between abstraction and representation. Roger Bissière and Alfred Manessier, influenced by their experiences during the Nazi occupation, integrated elements of the visible world into their non-figurative compositions.

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva's Composition (1948) visually represent her exploration of pictorial space

Russian artist Nicolas de Staël, who met Vieira da Silva in 1939, became one of the naturalized French artists shaping European painting in the post-war period. Paysage (1953) by de Staël and La Fête à Neully (1956) by Bissière depict abstracted interpretations, while Serge Poliakoff's blocky compositions align with the emerging tachisme. The gestural approaches of Hans Hartung, Pierre Soulages, and Emilio Vedova, influenced by North-American Abstract Expressionism, contributed to the art scene's urgency to break free from spiritual constraints.

As the 1960s unfolded, subjectivism faced challenges from new geometric proposals, notably North-American hard-edge painting. Paris also witnessed a renewal of geometric abstractionism in the 1950s, exemplified by Danish painter Richard Mortensen's solid color surfaces. Abstracted interpretation that illustrate the integration of visible elements into non-figurative compositions, reflecting the influence of the artist’s experiences during the Nazi occupation.

Roger Bissière's La Fête à Neully (1956)

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