If you don’t like squiggles: if you don’t like fantasy: if you don’t like odd-looking animals - stay away. So many people object to Basquiat or Tanguely and yes, there is a lot of their work that I don’t particularly go for either, but Karel Appel and his works on paper, I do. I can giggle, act as a child or search for faces or anything as his work is not always titled.
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| Encounter, 1963 |
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| Big Head, 1963 |
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| Woman's Face, 1961 |
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| The Harmonica Player, 1947 |
Karel Appel (1921-2006) is rich, diverse, raw, intense and alive with energy.
He was a Dutch painter who explored many forms throughout his long career lasting over 60 years. And looking at his work, knowing a little about his life, I am sure he remained « a child » right throughout his life. If not a child, open to many ideas. He was independent, radical and his spirit led him to shun established categories.
He is certainly famous as a founder of the Cobra group (1948) which I came across the first time with Asger Jorn (Denmark) and later Alechinksy (Belgium)
During the time of occupation of World War II, the Netherlands had been disconnected from the art world beyond its borders. COBRA was formed shortly thereafter.
Their working method was based on spontaneity and experiment, and they drew their inspiration in particular from children’s drawings, from primitive art forms and from the work of Paul Klee and Joan Miró.
Appel would squeeze tubes of paint and spread the wet material out with a finger and knife. He made paper his territory.
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| Blue Head, 1961 |
Of course there was the new language made up of hybrid creatures, animals and children’s faces.
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| Untitled, 2004 |
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| Head and Body, 1949 |
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| Man and Animal ll, 1994 |
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| Untitled, 1965 |
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| Untitled, 1965 |
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| Animal n° 8, 1951 (Miro?) |
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| Animal n°6, 1951 |
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| Animal n° 24, 1951 |
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| Animal n° 14, 1951 |
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| Untitled, 1949 |
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| Untitled, 1949 |
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| Untitled, 1950 |
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| Untitled, 1949 |
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| The goat, 1949 ( I love him!) |
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| Questioning Children, 1949 |
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| Untitled, 1947 |
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| Untitled, 1947 |
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| Personnage, 1947 |
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| Boy with fish, 1948 |
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| Untitled, 1947 |
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| Untitled, 1947 |
One of his dicta which I have used so often over the years is:
« This is where I recharge myself, like a battery! You go down into the streets completely flat, and a few hours later, you are completely charged up again .»
Exactly what I feel when I see his work and many of the other artists I follow. I come home invigorated and ready to bounce onto my photos, or read a catalogue and write up my blog.
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| Nude n°4, 1984 |
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| Portrait with Poloroid n°8, 1988 (a little like Bacon?) |
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| Untitled, 1947 |
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| The fish, 1947 |
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| Ajouter une légende |
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| Untitled, 1950 |
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| Untitled, 1949 |
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| Cat, 1948 |
Holland, of course, was a reference for his work but there was Paris too where he experienced poverty and a little later world recognition. There was New York « the most energizing city in the world » and I couldn’t agree more.
His work maybe chaos and yet for me there is also an order. After all
« the path of creative is a moving energy: a dimension of warmth ».
As with all those artists I follow, for sure there is work I don’t appreciate but Karel Appel inspires my « childhood fantasy. »
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