HANS HARTUNG (Leipzig 1904–1989 Antibes) P50-1975-H14. 1975. Acrylic and pastel on barite cardboard. Signed and dated lower right: Hartung 75. Titled, dated and with directional arrow on the reverse: P50-1975-H14 HAUT. 78 × 119 cm. This work is recorded at the archive of the Fondation Hartung Bergman, Antibes. It will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raionné of works by Hans Hartung. We thank the Foundation for their kind assistance. Provenance: Private collection Switzerland. "In my opinion, the kind of painting which people call abstract is not an ism, of which there have been many in recent times it is neither a "style" nor an "epoch" in the history of art, but simply a new means of expression, a different human language — and in fact more direct than earlier painting". Hans Hartung. Hans Hartung was born in Leipzig in 1904. He was one of the most important exponents of the école de Paris, a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, and he occupied an important place in modern European culture. Hans Hartungs work was very structured and systematic. For example, his works are named according to a stringent principle. The titles are a combination of letters and numbers, each specifying the technique used, followed by the year of production and a code. As in the work offered here, entitled "P50-1975-H14" — P in this case stands for pastel. His gestural compositions are also clear and reduced. His art was strongly influenced by his training in graphic arts. His delicate strokes are often reminiscent of Chinese ink painting or calligraphy. He himself once described his early drawings as an "unprepared improvisation", and later defined painting as the pursuit of "convincing perfection". Hartungs approach to the random and the intuitive is evident in his work after 1960, as the result of a long process of perfecting these two paradigms. With this combination, Hartung laid the first foundations of Informel. In our present work from 1975, we recognise all these components: the energetic, sweeping, yet deliberate black lines, the spontaneous stroke of the brush, which leaves a gradient of blues on the picture surface as it is applied. This work shows the skilful expression of a well-ordered, spontaneous enthusiasm. A year after creating this work, Hans Hartung made this well-known statement: "Everything that germinates and grows — vitality, resistance, pain and joy — can find its sign in a soft or flexible, contorted or proud, severe or powerful line, or in a patch of screaming, friendly or sombre colour". Hans Hartung, 1976. HANS HARTUNG (Leipzig 1904–1989 Antibes) P50-1975-H14. 1975. Acryl und Pastell auf Baryt-Karton. Unten rechts signiert und datiert: Hartung 75. Verso betitelt, datiert, mit Mass-, sowie Technikangaben und mit Richtungspfeil: P50-1975-H14 HAUT 78,7 x 119,1 cm FAIT LE 24/2/75 PH-M143 du 6/5/1975 VERNIS v14. 78 × 119 cm. Das vorliegende Werk ist im Archiv der Fondation Hartung Bergman, Antibes, verzeichnet. Das Werk wird in den in Vorbereitung befindlichen Catalogue raisonné der Werke von Hans Hartung aufgenommen. Wir danken der Fondation für**freundliche Unterstützung. Provenienz: Privatsammlung Schweiz. "Meiner Meinung nach ist**Malerei,**man**abstrakte nennt, kein Ismus, wie es deren in letzter Zeit viele gegeben hat, sie ist weder ein "Stil" noch eine "Epoche" in der Geschichte der Kunst, sondern einfach ein neues Ausdrucksmittel, eine andere menschliche Sprache - und zwar direkter als**frühere Malerei". Hans Hartung. Hans Hartung wird 1904 in Leipzig geboren. Er ist einer der wichtigsten Repr?sentanten der école de Paris, Pionier des Abstrakten Expressionismus, und nimmt in der modernen europ?ischen Kunstgeschichte einen wichtigen Platz ein. Hans Hartung arbeitet sehr strukturiert und systematisch. Beispielsweise sind seine Werke nach einem stringenten Prinzip benannt.**Titel bestehen aus einer Zusammensetzung von Buchstaben und Zahlen,**jeweils**angewendete Technik definieren, darauf folgen das Entstehungsjahr und ein Code. So ist das hier angebotene Werk betitelt: "P50-1975-H14" – P steht in diesem Fall für ein Pastell. Klar und reduziert sind auch seine gestischen Kompositionen. Seine Kunst ist von grafischer Ausbildung stark gepr?gt. Oft erinnern**zarten Strichführungen an chinesische Tuschemalerei oder Kalligraphie. Seine frühen Zeichnungen hat er selbst einmal als eine "unvorbereitete Improvisation" beschrieben, und sp?ter, das Malen als das Streben nach einer "überzeugenden Perfektion". Der Umgang mit der Zuf?lligkeit und dem Intuitiven zeigt sich in Hartungs Werk nach 1960, als das Ergebnis eines langen Prozesses der Perfektionnierung dieser beiden Paradigmen. Mit dieser Kombination legt Hartung**ersten Grundsteine des Informel. In unserem vorliegenden Werk von 1975 erkennen wir all diese Bestandteile:**energetischen, schwungvoll grafischen, dennoch bewussten schwarzen Linien, den spontanen Duktus des Pinsels, welcher w?hrend des Auftrags einen unterschiedlichen blauen Farbverlauf auf dem Bildtr?ger hinterl?sst. Diese Arbeit zeigt den gekonnten Gestus einer ebenso organisierten wie spontanen Begeisterung.
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