Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/169626
Andre Masson 1896 - 1987 Naufrage, 1957 Signed and dated Tempera on paper 13 x 9 5/6 in, 33 x 25 cm During World War Two Masson moved to New York where, like Miró, he met the Abstract Expressionist painters and started to experiment with gestural mark-making. At this time he also became interested in Oriental art, having seen it at the Metropolitan Museum, and assimilated its methods and symbols into works such as Naufrage. Miró and Masson were amongst numerous artists who used the practice of automatic drawing during their time within the Surrealist circle in Paris. When Masson moved to New York he developed his automatism in line with Abstract Expressionism. The large, spontaneous black brushstrokes of Naufrage are evocative of the dynamic 'action paintings' created by the likes of Jackson Pollock. An interest in Oriental art also had a significant impact upon Masson's work. The artist was fascinated by the play between spontaneity and control in Asian art and was drawn to the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. He started to incorporate Oriental techniques and imagery, including invented pictograms and gestural calligraphic writing, into his work. In Naufrage diminutive human figures seem to swim within waves of sweeping brushstrokes, which are surrounded by East Asian characters and script. Masson has also signed and dated the paper vertically on the right hand side, imitating the calligraphers, poets and painters from Japan and China. Naufrage exemplifies Masson's commitment to art as a poetic, philosophical and psychological exploration beyond the realm of logic. Throughout the 1950s Masson continued to develop his automatism in line with Zen Buddhism, creating works defined by their all-over luminosity and gestural calligraphy.