Career Gego

1 career

1.1 background
1.2 line
1.3 space
1.4 tamarind lithography workshop

career
background

arriving in venezuela during economic boom, gego surrounded artists enjoying great deal of success. modernism artistic fad sweeping through latin america , artists in venezuela participated enthusiastically. modernism political tool well. latin american governments trying catch advancements of united states during post world war ii era , venezuela thought encouraging modern art movement, incorporated ideas of industry, science, , architecture, country seen progressive. made first sculpture in 1957. aware of modern movement when came caracas, did not want co-opt ideas of kinetic art, constructivism or geometric abstraction. instead, gego wanted create style of own because able use many aspects of life in art—for example, german heritage. in end, gego saw these new projects labeled desarrollista (developmentalist movement) pleasing elite , government, wanted art relate local community of venezuela.

line

from kinetic art, gego incorporated ideas of motion importance of experimentation , spectator. 1 of earliest works, esfera (sphere) (1959), consists of welded brass , painted steel of different widths placed @ different angles 1 in order create overlapping lines , fields. when viewer walks around sphere, visual relationship between lines changes, creating sense of motion. esfera echoes work done famous kinetic artists carlos cruz-diez , jesus rafael soto. not until mid-1960s gego departed basic concept of kinetic art in response developing ideas lines. gego, line inhabited own space, , such, not component in larger work instead work itself. therefore, in artworks, did not use line represent image; line image.

the strength or purpose of line enhanced use of different materials, such steel, wire, lead, nylon , various metals. in addition relating interest in architecture, these materials contradicted new modernist movement in latin america. gego not used these materials create lines in massive sculptures in series entitled dibujos sin papel (drawings without paper). these tiny works created scraps of metal bent , weaved in order evoke movement, experimentation , spontaneity.

while in los angeles in late 1960s, gego composed series of lithographs untitled except ten-page booked entitled, lines in 1966. book full of lithographs produced in gray , red. variations in thickness, length, , direction of lines demonstrate fundamental instability of line. experimenting line in different medium, gego emphasized notion of line retains strength , independence regardless of specific location or form.

space

gego s idea of series artworks titled drawings without paper reflects on view of space. gego considered space own form; if artwork occupying artwork of room itself. since work made nets , grid-like materials, negative space everywhere, causing negative positive space appreciated. shadows created works reveal integral connection between sculpture , room occupies. gego allowed play idea of stable , unstable elements of art. stable elements of art sculpture itself, while unstable elements consist of changing shadows , slight movement in design due fragility of materials. in fact, way sculptures exist in space changes every time installed because gego had power recreate image wanted.

tamarind lithography workshop

on invitation of june wayne, gego briefly visited tamarind lithography workshop in los angeles (now tamarind institute) in 1963 , returned artist-fellow november december 1966, during time created thirty-one lithographs, including 2 books of lithographs. gego explained interest in using non-traditional formats in printmaking in speech @ tamarind in 1966: think series of sheets coherent meaning must gathered in way can enjoyed make books. in three-dimensional installations, gego used printmaking mode of linear experimentation. artist used line, , infinite variations, explore negative space, or called, nothing between lines. @ reception honoring artist @ tamarind in 1966 explained, discovered in-between lines important lines [themselves].