René Mels (1909-1977) - Composition abstraite gestuelle – Aquarelle, circa 1960
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€ 40
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Selected by Giulia Couzzi
Master’s in culture and arts innovation, with a decade in 20th-21st century Italian art.
Estimate € 300 - € 380
 | €40 | |
|---|---|---|
| €35 | |
| €3 | |
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Original edition watercolor by René Mels (1909–1977), titled Composition abstraite gestuelle – Aquarelle, circa 1960, signed with an RM monogram, 59 × 45.5 cm, created in 1960 in Belgium, with its original passe-partout and in good condition.
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Description from the seller
René Mels (1909-1977) – Gestural Abstract Composition – Watercolor, circa 1960 – Monogram RM
René Mels (1909-1977)
Gestural Abstract Composition
Watercolor and wash on paper, circa 1960
Signature: Monogrammed “RM” at the bottom right.
Overall dimensions with the original mat:
59 × 45.5 cm
Sold with its original mat
Sold unframed
Condition: Good overall condition of the watercolor. Fresh colors, the medium and transparencies well preserved.
Small damage to one corner of the original mat (to note).
Description
Energetic watercolor by René Mels, executed around 1960, at the moment when his lyric abstraction becomes fully gestural.
The composition opposes two chromatic fields: a large blue-violet plane in the upper left, and a vast warm sheet of oranges, corals and pinks that invades the rest of the sheet.
Over these fluid swaths, Mels deploys a network of soft, black, gray and brown lines — arabesques, swirls, hooks, loops — that traverse the space like automatic writing.
Some more opaque, whitish or pearl-gray touches punctuate the rhythm. On the right, a denser dark mass anchors the composition.
The gesture is free but restrained: the lines intertwine without freezing, washes stay transparent, the paper breathes. The engraver’s experience is clearly felt: the same fluid writing, the same taste for the sign, rhythm and layering.
The work remains abstract, while evoking an organic movement — vines, calligraphy, breath.
This piece well illustrates Mels’s maturity in the 1960s: expressive chromaticism, spontaneity of the wash, balance between space construction and freedom of line. It sits in the continuity of his investigations where engraving nourishes an ever more fluid and sensory painting.
Biography
René Mels (René Meulemans, 1909-1977) trained at the Universities of Leuven and Brussels, then at La Cambre.
After an expressionist start influenced by Permeke, he moved from a 1947 towards abstraction. An active member of the Young Belgian Painting (exhibitions 1947-1948 at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels), he joined the group Art Abstrait in 1952 and co-founded Cap d’encre in 1963.
His work is characterized by a concern for construction, a flexible writing style and expressive chromaticism. In 1950, a state grant enabled him to work at Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17 in Paris.
His watercolors, engravings and paintings are represented in numerous public Belgian and international collections, notably at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateRené Mels (1909-1977) – Gestural Abstract Composition – Watercolor, circa 1960 – Monogram RM
René Mels (1909-1977)
Gestural Abstract Composition
Watercolor and wash on paper, circa 1960
Signature: Monogrammed “RM” at the bottom right.
Overall dimensions with the original mat:
59 × 45.5 cm
Sold with its original mat
Sold unframed
Condition: Good overall condition of the watercolor. Fresh colors, the medium and transparencies well preserved.
Small damage to one corner of the original mat (to note).
Description
Energetic watercolor by René Mels, executed around 1960, at the moment when his lyric abstraction becomes fully gestural.
The composition opposes two chromatic fields: a large blue-violet plane in the upper left, and a vast warm sheet of oranges, corals and pinks that invades the rest of the sheet.
Over these fluid swaths, Mels deploys a network of soft, black, gray and brown lines — arabesques, swirls, hooks, loops — that traverse the space like automatic writing.
Some more opaque, whitish or pearl-gray touches punctuate the rhythm. On the right, a denser dark mass anchors the composition.
The gesture is free but restrained: the lines intertwine without freezing, washes stay transparent, the paper breathes. The engraver’s experience is clearly felt: the same fluid writing, the same taste for the sign, rhythm and layering.
The work remains abstract, while evoking an organic movement — vines, calligraphy, breath.
This piece well illustrates Mels’s maturity in the 1960s: expressive chromaticism, spontaneity of the wash, balance between space construction and freedom of line. It sits in the continuity of his investigations where engraving nourishes an ever more fluid and sensory painting.
Biography
René Mels (René Meulemans, 1909-1977) trained at the Universities of Leuven and Brussels, then at La Cambre.
After an expressionist start influenced by Permeke, he moved from a 1947 towards abstraction. An active member of the Young Belgian Painting (exhibitions 1947-1948 at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels), he joined the group Art Abstrait in 1952 and co-founded Cap d’encre in 1963.
His work is characterized by a concern for construction, a flexible writing style and expressive chromaticism. In 1950, a state grant enabled him to work at Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17 in Paris.
His watercolors, engravings and paintings are represented in numerous public Belgian and international collections, notably at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Artist
René Mels (1909-1977)
Sold with frame
No
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Edition
Original
Title of artwork
Composition abstraite gestuelle – Aquarelle, circa 1960
Technique
Watercolour painting
Signature
Hand signed
Country of origin
Belgium
Year
1960
Condition
Good condition
Height
45.5 cm
Width
59 cm
Style
Abstract
Period
1960-1970
Sold by
