From November 23rd, 2018 till January 26th, 2019 at the Dellupi Art Gallery in Milan,  the exhibition “Hans Hartung. Beyond Abstraction” will be presented. The Galley is located inside the Daniel Libeskind’s complex in the brand new Citylife district which is  becoming a new important area dedicated to design and contemporary art. The exhibition’s curator Ilaria Porotto, presents forty years of the personal development of the French-German artist through a selection of specific works of art from those years.

“The richness of his production and the variety of his techniques added to his desire of  experimentation – says the curator Ilaria Porotto – makes Hans Hartung one of the principal abstract artists; his paintings – out of bounds and etiquettes – have influenced the second half of the 20th century, inspiring young artists.”

This second exhibition dedicated to Hartung at Dellalupi Art Gallery, presents approximately 20 works of art, fifteen on canvases and several elegant works on paper. The exhibition follows a chronological order: starting from the 50s when a deeper use of marks as main subject is visible, followed by the 60s and 70s when Hartung focuses on new gestures and original tools with the intention to scratch, crave and impress the canvas, ending with the 80s with more mature works of art, rich in poetry and free expressive gestures.

In the selection of works of art displayed in the exhibition, It’s visible how Hartung creates a personal and vibrant style. As represented in some of the exposed works – such as T1962-L8 in 1962, T1963-R42 in 1963 or T1965-E3 in 1965 – the artist chooses new tools, experimenting everyday-life objects such as rolls, brushes, branches, rakes but also the airbrush, dribbles and compressors.

Doing so, Hartung develops an extremely personal style and workflow. In works of art as T 1962-U4, also displayed at the exhibition, an undefined cloud of color melts in a space filled with sinuous and frenetic lines, placed one next to each other or weaved, sculpted into the paint. The painting becomes both a primitive energy and a lyric experience: a totally abstract art, without – even if mentioned in the title – any kind of reference, but a starter to infinity, able to inspire emotions and beauty.

The exhibition ends with acrylic works from the 80s able to describe one of the most fascinating moments of the artist. Here gestures and color droppings are able to express an unexpected poetic harmony, with recollections to natural elements and landscapes.

The exhibition is concluded by a catalogue edited by Dellupi Arte with a comment by Ilaria Porotto and images of the exhibited works of art.

Carolina Cammi
translated by Tatiana Blanar

Info:

Hans Hartung. Beyond Abstraction
curated by Ilaria Porotto
Galleria Dellupi Arte | Via A. Spinola, 8a, Milano
November 23 2018 – January 26 2019