“Movement is a spark of life that makes art human and truly realistic. An artwork endowed with never-repetitive kinetic rhythm is one of freest things one can imagine.” – Pontus Hultén, leaflet for the 1955 Le mouvement exhibition in Paris
In the midst of the various strands of geometric abstraction that emerged in South America during the postwar period, Op and Kinetic art began with a community of Venezuelan and Argentine artists who made their way to Paris in the 1950s. These artists shared an affinity for industrial materials and technology and an interest in sensory perception, which they explored in art through the use of color, light, and movement. One of the first of these artists to arrive in Paris was Soto, who went on to participate in Le mouvement, a groundbreaking exhibition of Kinetic art there in 1955.
Luis Tomasello, Atmosphere Chromoplastique No. 210 [Chromoplastic Atmosphere No. 210], 1968, paint on wood, 45 3/16 x 45 5/8 x 2 1/2 in., Promised gift of Judy and Charles Tate, 2014.The works on view by Soto and Cruz-Diez, as well as those by their Argentine peers Julio Le Parc and Luis Tomasello, demonstrate another key criterion for Kinetic and Op art: active participation of the spectator. These artists worked to create an accessible and democratic experience, in which every viewer, through vision, touch, and position in space, is critical to the success of the artwork. Visit La línea continua to learn more about this radical group of Latin American artists and experience their work firsthand.
Dr. James Oles’ lecture “Cézannisme à la américaine latine: The Impact of Cézanne on Diego Rivera and Jesús Rafael Soto” will take place at the Blanton on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 3:30 pm. La línea continua is on view until Feb. 15, 2015.
Beth Shook is the Blanton’s Curatorial Associate for Latin American art. She holds an M.A. in Art History from George Mason University, where she specialized in 20th-century Latin America.