Informalism facts for kids

Informalism, also known as Art Informel, was an art movement that started in the 1940s and lasted into the 1950s. It was a type of abstract art that used strong, free brushstrokes, much like action painting. This style became popular in France and other parts of Europe during and after World War II. It was similar to American abstract expressionism, which began around 1946.

Informalism includes several different art styles. These include lyrical abstraction (art that shows feelings through colors and shapes), matter painting (using thick paint and other materials), the New Paris School, tachisme (painting with spots or blotches), and art brut (raw art).

A French art critic named Michel Tapié came up with the term "art autre," which means "other art." He used this term in a book he published in 1952. It helped people understand non-geometric abstract art better in France during the early 1950s. Informalism was also used to express political ideas in South America during this time. People saw it as a way to show support for big political changes.

How Informalism is Made

Artists who created Informalism art wanted to express themselves freely. They let the materials they used, like paint, guide them. They also embraced accidents or unexpected marks. This meant they didn't plan their art with drawings or sketches beforehand. They didn't follow traditional rules of painting.

Informalist art is "open" work, meaning viewers can interpret it in their own way. The artist starts by making marks and shapes. Then, the meaning comes from these marks, rather than starting with an idea and then drawing it. For example, in the works of Laurent Jiménez-Balaguer, the signs and symbols are broken down. This allows people from different backgrounds to understand the art in a personal way. Some artists even combined music with Informalism, creating "musical informalism."

The main features of this painting style are:

• Spontaneous movements: Artists moved their hands freely and without planning.
• Automatism: They let their subconscious guide their movements.
• Expressive use of materials: They used paint and other materials in bold ways.
• No pre-planned ideas: The art was created without a clear idea of the final result.
• Discovery through creation: Artists discovered new ideas as they painted.
• Focus on the theme: The painting itself became the main idea, not just a picture of something.
• Calligraphic look: Sometimes, the art looked like fancy writing, especially in works by Georges Mathieu, Hans Hartung, or Pierre Soulages.

Why Informalism Was Used

Politics and Art

Venezuela's Art and Change

In the 1950s and 1960s, Venezuela was going through a big change. It was moving from a dictatorship (where one person has all the power) to a democracy (where people have a say). Venezuelan artists like Carlos Cruz Diez and Gego used Informalism to show their feelings about this shift. Their art expressed their support for democracy during these politically uncertain times. They used their art to represent important figures who helped with this change.

Improving Abstract Art

In the early 1950s, France was a very important place for Informalism. It was called Un art autre or art informel. These terms were created by French art critic Michel Tapié. He published a book with the same name as an art exhibition in 1952.

This art style was more than just paintings. It also included ideas like lyrical abstraction and painting techniques such as tachisme and matter painting. Artists were inspired by European paintings and American expressionism. They used automatism, which is letting your hand move freely without thinking, to create this new art. Important French artists from this time included Pierre Soulages, Jean Paul Riopelle, and Sam Francis.

Informalist Painters

• Enrico Accatino
• José Balmes
• Gracia Barrios
• Willi Baumeister
• Vasco Bendini
• Alberto Burri
• Mário Cesariny
• Eduardo Chillida
• Fred Friedrich
• Jean Dubuffet
• René Duvillier
• Jean Fautrier
• Elsa Gramcko
• Hans Hartung
• Laurent Jiménez-Balaguer
• Luigi Malice
• Georges Mathieu
• Henri Michaux
• Manolo Millares
• Lucio Muñoz
• Ernst Wilhelm Nay
• Georges Noël
• Serge Poliakoff
• Roberto L. Pignataro
• Marie Raymond
• Jean-Paul Riopelle
• Ruth Schmidt Stockhausen
• Bernard Schultze
• Pablo Serrano
• Pierre Soulages
• Nicolas de Staël
• Antoni Tàpies
• Emilio Vedova
• Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
• Wols
• Rodrigo Franzao

Art Collections and Exhibitions

See also

In Spanish: Informalismo para niños

• Matterism
• Nuagisme