After the great success in Milan, the Gallery has decided to continue with Mark Tobey’s exhibition “Armonie Interiori” also in the Gallery in Naples.
Opening on Friday 7 June at 19:00 (until 20 July 2024).
The decision to continue with this “tale” born after the solid collaboration between the gallerist Andrea Ingenito and the Hachmeister Archive (Münster – Germany), as well as with some important Italian and foreign private collections, which have contributed to the realisation of this beautiful exhibition. The aim is to strengthen knowledge of this extraordinary American artist throughout the country in the most capillary manner possible.
A corpus of works that will be renewed with the arrival of further works, in addition to those from the Milan exhibition.
A selection that spans the subtlest and most symbolic nuances of Tobey’s art like World of Stones (1959): a beautiful tempera on paper exhibited in 1961 in occasion of a retrospective on Mark Tobey at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre and Sumi I of 1957, part of the series of works with Sumi ink painted during1950s.
The artist has left an indelible mark on contemporary art: he is known to have been a pioneer of modern painting, particularly a precursor to American abstract expressionism that later inspired the art of Jackson Pollock. Pollock encountered Tobey’s works through a solo exhibition at the Willard Gallery in New York in 1944, and a few years later, he began his distinctive works using the “dripping” technique, giving rise to «action painting».
Despite the rise of abstract expressionism in New York after World War II, Tobey maintained his characteristic meditative painting style, favoring small formats and refusing to align with any artistic groups in the city. His fame transcended national borders, gaining prominence in Europe through significant exhibitions such as those at the Tate Gallery in London in 1956 or various shows at the Galerie Beyeler in Basel (to name a few).
Tobey’s influence later reached internationally renowned artists such as Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Morris Graves, Lee Krasner, and, in later years, served as inspiration for the art of Keith Haring.
One of the distinctive elements of Tobey’s art was his skill in “writing” masses of calligraphy with extremely fine brushes, tempera, and Sumi ink, creating a “multiple space” defined through light.
This gave rise to the technique of «white writing», inspired by his travels to China and Japan and his embrace of the Baha’i religious faith. It transforms the canvas surface into a multidimensional and dynamic territory.
Tobey captured the essence of human experience in a non-verbal manner, conveying emotions through forms and colors that transcend mere language. He left a lasting legacy in the art world, developing a unique style that encompasses various creative phases and cultural influences.
An exploration of themes of spirituality and human interconnectedness, imbued with symbolism, it conveys a sense of harmony and inner peace.
