Concretism – The Story
The Concrete Art Movement evolved in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. The term ‘Concrete Art’ was introduced in the first and last issue of the Art Concrete magazine published in 1930, in Paris. It contained a manifesto called The Basis of Concrete Art, written by the Dutch painter Theos Van Doesburg. Theos was best known as the founder of De Stijl, a Dutch art movement, which mostly involved the use of simple abstracts. He described Concrete Art as a style of art, free from symbolism or realism. The Swiss painter Max Bill and Van Doesburg were ardent followers of concretism and worked all their lives to promote it. Max Bill organized the first international exhibition of Concrete Art in 1944, in Basel, Switzerland, and then in Zurich, in 1960. Groups such as Movimento d’Arte Concreta (MAC) and Espace helped spread Concretism in various parts of Europe, such as Northern Italy and France, in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1950s, Max Bill brought the art style to South America.
The details
Concretism was essentially a non-representational art form that defied all the norms of Contemporary Art of the time. Concrete Art is autonomous. It can be defined as art produced without the influence of any external factor, such as nature, people or things. It should not represent or be inspired by any material reality. Concrete Art did not require the artist to have a definitive concept or theme to work with. Concretism could be any art form in painting or sculpture produced through an inventive play of lines, planes, and colors, forming nonspecific patterns. The art form did not need to signify or symbolize any visible object or tangible material. Concrete Art was a true expression of the spirit of an artist. In effect, it is a purely abstract creation, with originality and innovation at its core. The artwork may not necessarily be able to be described in words, but it would have inherent universal appeal.
The Correlations
It is believed that Concretism gave rise to Constructivism and Suprematism. It is said to also influence minimalism and optical art.
Works of art and artists
Some famous works of Concrete Art are ‘Countercomposition VI’ by Theos Van Doesburg and ‘Composition No. 15’ by Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart.
Conclution
Concretism, also known as abstractionism, had a very futuristic approach. There is a museum dedicated to Concrete Artworks in Zürich, Switzerland.
