René Mels (1909-1977) - Composition abstraite - 1975

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Artwork data sheet

Artist: René Mels (1909–1977) Belgian School

Title: Abstract Composition

Date: 1975

Technique: Ink and colored wash on paper

Dimensions: 40.5 cm × 31.5 cm

Signature: Signed and dated at the bottom right “R. Mels, 75”

Conservation status: Very good condition

Framing: Sold unframed

Provenance: Artist’s family

Description of the work

This Abstract Composition, created in 1975, clearly illustrates the maturity of René Mels’ graphic language in the final years of his production. The work unfolds through a superposition of broad and fluid washes, mainly in tones of blues, greens, yellows, and pinks, creating a vibrant and moving atmosphere.

The painted surface is structured by a network of black ink lines, drawn with precision, which organize themselves into horizontal and vertical crossings. These lines introduce a rigorous weave contrasting with the freedom of the color fields. They establish zones of tension and stabilization, giving the composition a subtle balance between order and spontaneity.

The washes, applied by successive transparencies, reveal the paper’s reserves, generating effects of light and depth. The composition evokes a space in constant transformation, with no figurative reference, where color acts as living matter and the line as a structuring principle. The whole produces an impression of continuous rhythm and internal breathing.

Artistic context

During the 1970s, René Mels developed an abstraction increasingly freed from strict formal constraints, while maintaining a strong structural requirement. The line, now autonomous, no longer delineates forms but organizes space and governs visual movement.

This 1975 work testifies to this fully developed search, where drawing and color balance in a dialectical relationship. The wash adds flexibility and vibration, while the ink line imposes a graphic framework. This late phase of his work announces a form of expressive purity, characteristic of the artist’s late works.

Biography of René Mels (1909–1977)

René Mels was a major figure in Belgian painting and engraving of the 20th century. Born in Herent-lez-Louvain, he trained at the Leuven Academy, then at Brussels, before continuing his studies at La Cambre. His work evolved from initial expressionism toward a structured abstraction, then toward a more gestural and linear language.

Active member of Jeune Peinture belge and the group Art Abstrait, he actively participated in the post-war artistic renewal in Belgium. His approach, based on a constant tension between constructive rigour and freedom of gesture, gives his work a coherence and singular intensity. René Mels passed away in 1977 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, leaving a late output of great graphic and poetic strength.