Red Mark on Chestnut

The 1965 painting Red Sign on Chestnut Background represents the ‘material painting’ developed by Tàpiés in the 1950s. The texture of the painting mostly created by the material applied onto canvas was the most significant feature of the new style. Thick layers of applied materials produced a non-compact surface which Tàpiés further broke with grooves. The destructed surface feeling of existential uncertainties and the irreversible process of decline. The ‘wrinkles’ and injuries of the painting’s texture evoke fatality and limits of human life.