LUIS FEITO (Madrid, 1929-2021).
"Composición 802", 1970.
Mixed media on canvas.
Signed. Dated and titled on the back.
Measurements: 100 x 81 cm; 101 x 102 cm.
This work is the result of the artist's experimentation with texture, volume and the material reaction of the manipulation of pigment. The piece is conceived by Feíto in a theatrical way based on a play of textures around a central nucleus. The circle, from which a painting emerges that is defined by a rich matte balance, where the crackle has a great protagonism. This resource, completely conceived and provoked by Feito, was used by the artist on numerous occasions during the 1970s, as can be seen in other works by the artist with craquelure, such as Untitled from 1971, Panting 918 painted in 1972 or Bas from 1974. Another of the singular characteristics of this period is the finish of the circle, whose thickness in texture increases on the outer perimeter, in such a way that the inner zone seems to have been compressed in such a way that the pigment overflows at the limits, making the circle the epicentre and protagonist of the scene, as it transports the two-dimensionality of the work towards the three-dimensional, and flows through the material that expands its limits in an energetic and expressive way.
Born and trained in Madrid, he was one of the founding members of the El Paso group. In 1954 he held his first solo exhibition of non-figurative works at the Buchholz gallery in Madrid. From then on Feito exhibited regularly in the most important cities in the world, such as Paris, Milan, New York, Helsinki, Tokyo and Rome. Appointed professor at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in 1954, two years later he left teaching and went to Paris on a scholarship to study the avant-garde movements in force. During this period he was influenced by automatism and matter painting. In 1962 he became a founding member of the El Paso group, with which he had lost contact during his years in Paris. His first works were figurative painting, followed by a phase in which he experimented with cubism and finally moved fully into abstraction. At first he only used black, ochre and white colours, but when he discovered the potential of light he began to use more vivid colours and smooth planes. He evolved until he used red as a counterpoint in his compositions (from 1962) and, in general, more intense colours. In his abstract phase, which includes the 1970s, Feito showed a clear tendency towards simplification, with the circle predominating in his compositions as a geometric form. Possibly, the influence of Japanese art can be seen in his preference for large bands of black. Most of his works are untitled and can therefore be recognised by a number assigned to them. Among his awards is his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 1985. In 1998 he was awarded the Gold Medal of Fine Arts in Madrid, and was made a Full Member of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 2000 he was awarded the Prize of the Spanish Association of Art Critics at the Estampa Salon, in 2002 the AECA Grand Prize for the best international artist at ARCO, in 2003 the prize for the most important artist at the Osaka Art Fair (Japan), in 2004 the Prize for the Culture of Plastic Arts of the Community of Madrid, in 2005 the Francisco Tomás Prieto Prize of the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre, and in 2008 the Jorge Alió Foundation Prize and the Grand Prize for Spanish Contemporary Art CESMAI. Luis Feito is represented in the most important museums all over the world, including the Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Guggenheim, the MoMA and the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, etc.