Art Informel
The
French word "informel means 'without form'
rather than 'informal'. In the 1950s Art Informel
artists were looking for a new way to create images
without using the recognizable forms characteristic
of their predecessors. (see Cubism and
Expressionism).
Their aim was to abandon geometrical and figurative
forms and to discover a new artistic language. They
invented shapes and methods that came about by
improvisation. The work of Art Informel artists is
extremely varied but they often used free
brushstrokes and thick layering of paint. Like
Abstract Expressionism, which developed
simultaneously in the United States, Art Informel is
a very broad label and includes figurative and
non-figurative painters. Although centered mainly on
Paris, its influence reached other parts of Europe,
notably Spain, Italy and Germany.
Representative
painters:
Burn,
Fautrier,
Hartung,
Riopelle,
Tapies,
Wols