The tight clusters of lines in this abstract print are traces of a rigorous act of mark making. Hans Hartung made thousands of drawings in the mid-1950s that seek to capture the spontaneous energy and rhythms of physical action. These drawings and the related prints correspond with the raw, expressive brushwork of Hartung’s paintings.

Fascinated by tensions between chance and control, Hartung played an influential role in the development of lyrical abstraction in post-war France, where he became associated with the Art Informel and Taschist movements. By the 1950s, when this print was made, he was exhibiting his work in galleries in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA and UK.

Lisa Newby, July 2022