René Mels ( 1909-1977) - Composition abstraite 1975

This paper work by René Mels, dated 1975, belongs to the artist's final period of creation. It reflects a simplified and structured pictorial language, where abstraction is nourished by a strong graphic framework and a subtly nuanced palette.
Descriptive sheet

Artist: René Mels (1909–1977)
School: Belgium
Abstract composition
Dating: 1975
* Technique: Mixed media on paper (watercolor and ink)
Dimensions: 42.5 × 31.5 cm
Signature and date: Signed and dated '75' at the bottom right.
Unframed sale
Provenance: Private collection

Condition of preservation

General condition: Good condition
Remarks: The work is well preserved, with no major visible alterations. The paper and pigments show good stability.

Description of the work

This abstract composition is distinguished by a highly structured construction, dominated by a dense network of crossed black lines executed in ink that structure the pictorial space. These firm and repeated strokes create an almost calligraphic framework, containing and energizing the underlying color fields.
The watercolor washes, with pinkish, bluish, gray, and yellow tones, bring a luminous and sensitive dimension to the whole. The color flows freely beneath the graphic structure, establishing a constant dialogue between linear rigor and chromatic vibration. The work evokes a form of mental landscape or inner construction, without ever tipping into figuration.

Artistic context

In the 1970s, René Mels developed a more stripped-down plastic vocabulary, where the line became a fundamental element of composition. The gestural became more incisive, almost meditative, while the color retained a role of balance and breathing.
This late period demonstrates a successful synthesis of lyrical abstraction and spatial structuring, characteristic of the artist's evolution after several decades of research.

Artist Biography

Born in Herent-lez-Louvain in 1909, René Mels trained at the academies of Louvain and Brussels, then at La Cambre. A member of the Jeune Peinture belge and the group Art Abstrait, he actively participated in the renewal of Belgian painting after the war. His work evolved from an initial expressionism to increasingly structured and inward-looking abstraction. He passed away in 1977 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.

This paper work, dated 1975, is a significant testament to the last period of René Mels, where graphic mastery, a sense of composition, and meditative depth come together. A quality piece for collectors of Belgian abstraction of the 20th century.