Georges Mathieu (1921-2012) - Composition en Blue et Rouge / Abstraction Lyrique

Georges Mathieu (1921–2012)

Original drawing – Abstraction Lyrique, circa 1970

A particularly powerful and visually striking original drawing by Georges Mathieu, one of the leading representatives of postwar European abstraction and a pioneer of Abstraction Lyrique.

Executed in black, blue, and red pen on paper, the composition displays Mathieu’s unmistakable calligraphic visual language. Swift, swooping lines, dense nets of crossing strokes, and almost architectural structures alternate with spontaneous, freely drawn gestures. The intense black and electric blue forms dominate the composition, while the red accents create both depth and movement.

The drawing is an excellent example of Mathieu’s ability to make the physical act of drawing itself the subject of the artwork. There is no conventional prearranged composition: line, speed, rhythm, and gesture determine the image. A particularly characteristic feature is the contrast between the dense, almost lattice-like passages and the exceedingly light, swooping lines that extend through the surrounding space.

Stylistically, the work can be placed around the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, a period in which Mathieu increasingly combined his famous spontaneous calligraphy with more structured and architectural forms.

The work is signed and personally inscribed by Georges Mathieu in red in the bottom right.

The drawing is executed on a page taken from a printed brochure, which, through Mathieu’s extensive original intervention, has been fully transformed into an autonomous work of art on paper.

Georges Mathieu belonged to the most important protagonists of Abstraction Lyrique, the European counterpart of American Abstract Expressionism. His radical emphasis on speed, spontaneity, and the physical gesture of painting made him one of the most recognizable representatives of postwar French abstract art.

An exceptionally energetic and decorative work, with an extraordinarily rich composition and the immediacy for which Mathieu’s drawings are particularly valued.

The authenticity of the work is fully guaranteed by the seller. Upon request and at the buyer’s expense, the work can be submitted to the Georges Mathieu Committee for the issue of a certificate of authenticity.