Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

The abstractions of Fernando Zobel reveal his flair for order albeit concealed artfully by a semblance of spontaneity. His paintings seemed rehearsed and planned and still, almost always, exuded an air of whim. The untitled piece at hand was made circa 1970, done in oil – the most flexible medium, its color changes little from wet to dry, and may be applied thick or thin and with a great variety of utensils to achieve different textures. A few years prior to its creation, in 1968 and 1969, Zobel’s paintings took on a geometric character, filled with transparent spaces and visual play of colors. He started a habit of developing a theme gradually by doing countless drawings, sketches, photographs, and more. Then, in 1970, he abandoned the geometric forms in his paintings and revisited his chiaroscuro style and abstract landscapes. In the same year, Zobel was included in a group show at the Museum of Gothenburg and held a solo exhibit of drawings at the Galeria Egam in Madrid. The rest of the ‘70s remained prosperous in the amount of local and international exhibitions of the fine artist. (P.I.R.)