3443 - HANS HARTUNG

HANS HARTUNG (Leipzig 1904–1989 Antibes) T1963-U27. 1963. Vinyl and grattage on canvas. On the reverse of the stretcher, titled, inscribed, and with hanging instructions: T 1963-027 HAUT 3732 29-11-63 A-339, as well as a stamp: INVENTAIRE H.H. 61 × 38 cm. Certificate: Fondation Hans Hartung et Anna-Eva Bergman, Antibes (no. T1963-U27). Provenance: - Galerie Sapone, France. - Private collection, Italy. - Galerie Matteo Lempertico, Italy. - Collection, France. Hans Hartung, one of the leading pioneers of Art Informel, regarded the line as the central element and foundation of his artistic language. At the heart of his practice is the line as a trace of action. Hartung understood his painting not as spontaneous improvisation, but as a consciously controlled process in which the line represents a recorded movement. It is the result of a physical intervention and thus preserves the energy of that moment. At the same time, the line possesses a pronounced structural function. Unlike in American Abstract Expressionism, where the gesture is often interpreted as the immediate expression of subjective emotion, Hartung’s line is embedded within a compositional framework. During the 1960s, the line acquired an additional material dimension, as seen here in “T1963-U27.” Through the use of unconventional tools—such as a scraping instrument—the line was no longer merely applied, but emerged through the act of scratching into the paint layer itself. The line became an interface between surface and depth. The underlying sprayed gradation of blue, white, and orange emerges against the black background, heightened by the contrast between complementary colors. The repetition, clustering, and overlapping of the line generate a visual dynamism and spatial depth that guide the eye through the painting. In this way, the line also carries a rhythmic and temporal quality reminiscent of natural phenomena such as growth, wind, or radiating light, without depicting them directly. Hartung’s lines in this painting appear spontaneous and immediate, yet they are the product of a deliberate artistic process. It is precisely this ambivalence that transforms the pictorial space into a self-contained pictorial space, charged with energy and a sense of cosmic depth. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *; that is, VAT is charged on the total amount and will be refunded to purchasers upon presentation of a validly stamped export declaration.