René Mels ( 1909-1977) - Belle composition abstraite de 1976

René Mels (1909–1977) Belgium

Abstract Composition (1976)
Ink and wash on paper
Dimensions: 43 × 35 cm
Signature: Signed and dated at the bottom right 'R. Mels, November 76.'

Date: November 1976
Condition: Good overall condition
Framing: Unframed, sold unframed.
Provenance: artist's family

Description of the work

Created in November 1976, Abstract Composition belongs to the very last period of René Mels's creative work, the artist passing away the following year, in 1977. This work reflects the full maturity of his graphic language, where the line becomes the vehicle of a controlled inner energy. The interweaving of lines, cross-hatching, and light washes combine to form a structure that is both dense and airy.

The gesture, free but precise, expresses a tension between spontaneity and rigor, characteristic of Mels's late work. In this composition, the material seems to be born from the very movement of the drawing: each stroke contributes to a vibrant visual rhythm, almost musical, where light emerges from the subtle dialogue between shadowed areas and reserved spaces.

Artistic context
In the mid-1970s, René Mels deepened his reflection on gesturality and the dynamics of the line. After a period of more structured abstraction, he moved towards a freer graphic style, where the line becomes breath and movement. Abstract composition is part of this final phase of research, marked by a purification of the plastic language and rare expressive intensity. Created a few months before his passing, this work can be considered one of the most accomplished testimonies of his quest for a balance between structure and emotion. It illustrates how Mels, at the end of his life, manages to condense all his experience into a gesture that is both controlled and liberated, where drawing becomes a form of inner breathing.

Biography of René Mels (1909–1977)
René Mels was a prominent figure in Belgian painting and engraving of the 20th century. Born in Herent-lez-Louvain, he studied at the Leuven Academy, then at the Brussels Academy, before refining his skills at La Cambre. His work, initially influenced by Expressionism, evolved towards a structured and luminous abstraction, focused on line, color, and light.
A member of the Jeune Peinture belge and the group Art Abstrait, he actively participated in the modernization of the post-war art scene. His approach, based on rigor and sensitivity, explores the relationship between structure and emotion, giving his work a rare intensity.
René Mels passed away in 1977 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, leaving behind a body of work with great formal and poetic coherence. Composition abstraite (1976) thus appears as one of the final testimonies of this demanding exploration, where the line becomes an autonomous and profoundly spiritual language.

A late work of remarkable intensity, where René Mels condenses all his mastery of line and rhythm into an abstraction that is both rigorous and vibrant.