Manuel Viola (1916-1987) - Composición

Manuel Viola (Zaragoza, 1916 – San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 1987) “Composición” Oil on canvas 150 × 110 cm Signed “Viola” in the lower right corner. Important original work by Manuel Viola, one of the fundamental figures of Spanish informalist painting and a member of the historic group El Paso. The composition unfolds over a deep dark field from which emerges a intense core of matter and light. Broad swathes of paint, incisive strokes and energetic gestures build a image of great visual force, in which blacks and earth tones contrast with whites, ochres, violets and reddish nuances. The work presents some of the characteristic elements of Viola’s pictorial language: the prominence of light over backgrounds of great depth, the tension between darkness and luminosity, gestural brushwork and a dynamic construction that seems to expand from the center toward the edges of the canvas. Due to its stylistic characteristics, palette and informalist language, the work can be tentatively situated within Viola’s production of the 1960s, although no specific date is attributed in this listing since it is not dated by the artist. It is a large-format painting, 150 × 110 cm, a circumstance that especially amplifies the gestural and expressive dimension of the composition. Provenance documented: Ansorena, Madrid. Auction 279, lot 110. The reverse of the canvas preserves the label corresponding to Auction 279, as well as various references and inventory numbers visible on the stretcher. The work is signed in the lower right corner and retains its stretcher. Detailed photographs of the front, signature, reverse, stretcher and auction label are provided, as well as the available documentation relating to its provenance. Condition: Good overall condition for its age. It is recommended to carefully examine the photographs, which are an integral part of the lot description. A work of considerable presence and format within Manuel Viola’s informalist production, with documented provenance in the Spanish auction market.

Estimate:£6,777.78

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