COBRA (art movement) facts for kids

COBRA or Cobra was a European art group that was active from 1948 to 1951. The name was created in 1948 by Christian Dotremont. It comes from the first letters of the capital cities where the artists were from: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels (Br), and Amsterdam (A).

History

After World War II, many artists in the Netherlands felt cut off from the rest of the art world. CoBrA was formed soon after this time. This international group of artists wanted to experiment with art. They felt that older art styles, like "naturalism" (making things look exactly real) and "sterile" abstract art, were not exciting enough.

The CoBrA artists believed that true freedom in art came from experimenting. They thought children's drawings showed this freedom best. The group was started by Karel Appel, Constant, Corneille, Christian Dotremont, Asger Jorn, and Joseph Noiret. They met in Paris on November 8, 1948, and signed a statement called "La cause était entendue" (meaning "The Case Was Settled").

These artists wanted complete freedom with colors and shapes. They also didn't like Surrealism. They were interested in Marxism (a political idea) and modern art. Their way of working was based on being spontaneous and trying new things. They found ideas in children's drawings, ancient art, and the works of artists like Paul Klee and Joan Miró.

CoBrA brought together artists from different groups: the Dutch group Reflex, the Danish group Høst, and the Belgian Revolutionary Surrealist Group. The CoBrA group only lasted a few years, but they achieved a lot. They published a magazine called Cobra, created art together called Peintures-Mot, and held two big art shows. The first show was at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in November 1949. The second was at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Liège in 1951.

An important member of the group was Ernest Mancoba, a Black artist. His wife, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, a Danish sculptor, was also one of the few women active in the movement.

In November 1949, the group changed its official name to "Internationale des Artistes Expérimentaux" (International Experimental Artists). Their members were now across Europe and the United States, but the new name never really caught on. The CoBrA movement officially ended in 1951. However, many members stayed friends and continued to work together, especially Dotremont.

The main style of CoBrA art was semi-abstract paintings. They used bright colors, bold brushstrokes, and human figures that looked a bit strange or distorted. They got ideas from ancient and folk art. Their style was similar to American action painting. CoBrA was an important step in the development of Tachisme and European abstract expressionism.

CoBrA was one of the last "avant-garde" (new and experimental) art movements of the 20th century. Even though the group officially lasted only three years (1948 to 1951), each artist went on to create their own unique art.

Manifesto

The CoBrA manifesto, called "La cause était entendue" (The Case Was Settled), was written by Christian Dotremont. All the founding members signed it in Paris in 1948. This statement was a direct response to a very formal art event they attended. They felt that event was boring and too strict.

The manifesto declared that they wanted to work together in a free and experimental way. They aimed to create art that was different from the current art movements. The name of their manifesto was also a playful nod to an earlier document signed by other artists in 1947.

Method

CoBrA artists in Europe were different from American abstract artists. They cared more about the process of making art than just the final product. They added elements from ancient cultures, myths, and folk tales. They also used ideas from children's drawings and graffiti.

One new thing that united CoBrA artists was their free use of strong colors. They used bold brushstrokes and figures that could be scary or funny. Their art showed figures that were not perfectly human. This was to reflect the fears and weaknesses of their time, unlike the art of Abstraction which they felt was too cold.

This spontaneous way of working was a rejection of traditional art, which they felt was too formal. They preferred "uncivilized" ways of expressing themselves. This created a mix between conscious thoughts and unconscious feelings. Unlike Surrealist artists who focused only on the unconscious, CoBrA artists explored both.

The "childlike" part of their method meant they enjoyed painting, the materials, the shapes, and the picture itself. This idea was called "desire unbound." The Dutch artists in CoBrA, like Corneille, Appel, and Constant, were especially interested in children's art. Karel Appel once said, "We wanted to start again like a child." As part of a left-wing movement, they believed art and life should be connected through experiments. This would bring together form and expression.

CoBrA exhibitions

The CoBrA artists showed their work mainly in Holland, but also in Paris and other European countries.

Stedelijk Museum exhibition

The first big CoBrA exhibition was held at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in November 1949. It was called "International Experimental Art." Else Alfelt, one of the few women involved in the movement, showed her art there.

The museum's director, Willem Sandberg, wanted to bring experimental and abstract art to the Netherlands. He was very involved with the CoBrA group and kept in close touch with the artists.

The architect Aldo van Eyck designed the inside of the exhibition. He later became famous for designing playgrounds. Since CoBrA artists also got ideas from children's drawings, it's likely that Van Eyck's ideas for playgrounds were inspired by CoBrA.

The Stedelijk Museum exhibition caused a lot of angry reactions from the newspapers and the public. One critic wrote, "Smirch, twaddle and mess in the SMA." People called the CoBrA artists "scribblers" and "con artists". Newspapers said the art was offensive. There was even a public fight during an evening of experimental poetry at the museum.

Exhibition in Liège

The last CoBrA exhibition was in Liège, Belgium, in 1951. The group broke up shortly after this show. Pierre Alechinsky, an artist from Belgium, organized the exhibition. The Dutch architect, Van Eyck, designed the layout, just as he did for the 1949 CoBrA exhibition.

New ideas in this show included arranging art on the wall in a grid pattern. Also, the sculptures in the show were placed on beds of coal from the Liège area.

This show included artists who were not part of CoBrA. Also, some of the main CoBrA artists did not participate. This was because of disagreements within the group, which eventually led to CoBrA ending that same year.

Group shows

• WestKunst (Cologne, 1981)
• Paris-Paris (Paris, 1981)
• Aftermath (London, 1981)
• Two Survey shows (Hamburg, 1982; Paris and the French provinces also 1982)
• The Spirit of Cobra (Fort Lauderdale, 2013)
• CoBrA (Mannheim, 2023)

Participants

Related artists

These artists had connections with CoBrA or were influenced by them:

Criticism

Alison M. Gingeras described CoBrA as a "wonderfully messy, noisy, and many-sided" group.

Ernest Mancoba (1904–2002), an artist from South Africa, felt he was one of the only Black artists in CoBrA. He supported the movement but also felt that his presence made some of his fellow artists uncomfortable. He said they sometimes treated him like an "Invisible Man" or just the husband of a European artist. He noted that before him, there hadn't been any Black men in the "avant-garde" (new and experimental) visual arts of the Western world.

Legacy

There is a CoBrA Museum in Amstelveen, Netherlands. It shows works by Karel Appel and other international experimental artists.

The NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has a large collection of CoBrA art. It displays works by Karel Appel, Pierre Alechinsky, and Asger Jorn, who were important artists in the movement.

On April 3, 2006, auctioneers Bruun Rasmussen held an auction of CoBrA artists' works in Copenhagen. It set new records. A painting by Asger Jorn called Tristesse Blanche sold for 6.4 million DKK (Danish Krone), which was the highest price ever for his work. The entire auction raised 30 million DKK, setting a record for a single art auction in Denmark.

See also

In Spanish: CoBrA para niños

• School of Paris