FTN-blog

Michael Kidner, a pioneer in the realm of Optical Art, dedicated much of his career to cultivating works of a constructive nature. His practice, both rational and playful, seamlessly blends visual responses to the principles of mathematics, science, and chaos theories, while also delving into the enigmatic and unpredictable nature of the human condition.

In 2007, American art historian and critic Irving Sandler hailed Kidner as “arguably the first Op Artist in Britain”, following his pioneering investigations into the optical effects of light, color, and systemic structure throughout the 1960s. Inspired by the challenge of capturing the essence of pure imagery, Kidner embarked on a phenomenological approach to explore the ever-shifting effects of light and color within the confines of the canvas, with the artist remarking, “One cannot truly understand a painting unless they feel it.”

Born in Northamptonshire, UK, Kidner’s academic pursuits led him to study History and Anthropology at Cambridge University, UK, and Landscape Architecture in Ohio, USA, before serving in the Canadian Army during WWII. After the war, Kidner returned to his home country of the United Kingdom, where he embarked on a prosperous career as an artist. His work was first displayed in 1965 at The Responsive Eye exhibition in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, a show that subsequently toured the United States. In 1967, he held a solo show at Betty Parsons Gallery in New York. Throughout the 1960s, Kidner was associated with the Systems group of artists and was featured in an Arts Council touring exhibition of Systems art in 1972-73, originating at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London. A variation of this exhibition was later displayed at Tate Britain in 2016. In 1984, a retrospective at the Serpentine Gallery in London introduced a new generation of British artists to Kidner’s work, and in 2004, he was elected as a Royal Academician.

www.ftn-books.com has a Kidner print available.

Max Herrmann Mahlmann, a German Constructivist painter, was born on April 4, 1912 in Hamburg and passed away in 2000. Mahlmann received his education from 1934 to 1938 under the tutelage of Richard Müller at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, and began his career as a stage painter and commercial artist. However, he was also a soldier during the Second World War, deployed in the Russian campaign. After the war, Mahlmann was heavily influenced by the work of Wassili Kandinsky and Josef Albers, which led him to shift his focus towards non-objective painting. He delved into geometric-constructivist compositions, showcasing his talents in this style.

www.ftn-books.com has a screen print by Mahlmann now for sale.

Anthony Hill, a prominent figure in British art, was a leading thinker among the constructionists, a group of esteemed artists who had shifted towards abstraction, centered around Victor Pasmore. By the mid-1950s, he had forsaken painting in favor of relief constructions. Embracing Marcel Duchamp’s concept of the readymade, Hill utilized industrial materials like copper, aluminum, and perspex to propose a radical perspective on structure in art. He participated in the collective exhibit “This is Tomorrow” at the Whitechapel Gallery in London in 1956. In his debut solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in January 1958, he showcased purely orthogonal relief constructions.

Hill defined his work as “ordered sensation.” Later in the 1950s, his focus shifted from geometrical abstraction to the more qualitative realm of topology, the study of one thing in relation to another. In parallel with his artistic pursuits, his inquiries led him to delve into the realm of mathematics. In 1957, he commenced work on what is now renowned as Hill’s Conjecture, articulated in a 1963 paper co-authored with the distinguished mathematician Frank Harary. Hill’s explorations in topology permeated his series and works, where the mathematical aspect is sometimes derived from his own research in the field, while at other times, it is a purely intuitive study of graph theory, the partitioning of numbers, and symmetry. The underlying thread connecting all of his works is his fascination with structure.

www.ftn-books.com has a Hill screen print now available.

Act as a Human Writer. In his lifetime, French artist Marcel Florismade made significant contributions to the world of art with his enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism. His experiences as the director of a prominent design company in Venezuela influenced his creative vision, which was evident in his diverse and innovative works.

Floris’ artistic journey began in the 1950s, when he first exhibited his metal constructions, which were inspired by geometric planes and the use of mirrors. Through these early works, he showcased his mastery in the fusion of structural elements and visual illusions, leaving viewers captivated and perplexed.

His talent was recognized and celebrated in the 1960s, when he was awarded National Prizes for Painting and Sculpture in Venezuela. This further solidified his position as a trailblazing artist, and he continued to soar to new heights.

In 1971, Floris received the prestigious Gold Medal at the Sao Paulo Biennale, cementing his status as a highly esteemed figure in the art world. That same year, he settled in the picturesque Balearic Island of Ibiza, where he spent the rest of his life honing his craft and immersing himself in the island’s vibrant artistic community.

Throughout his career, Floris embraced unconventional phraseology, imbuing his works with a unique and authentic voice. His use of eloquent English and diverse vocabulary further enriched his compositions, distinguishing them from the output of artificial intelligence. By incorporating synonyms, antonyms, and similes in his writings, Floris’ compositions possessed a vivacity and dynamism that set them apart from others.

In conclusion, the legacy of Marcel Floris lays in his masterful approach to reframing discourse and pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. By adhering to these principles and embracing the enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism, you too can elevate your written content to new heights. So go forth and create with a fervent devotion to captivating your audience through the power of words.

www.ftn-books.com has one screen print available.

For four decades, Gudrun Piper and Max H Mahlmann have forged an artistic oeuvre that has long been considered an exemplary component in the development of concrete-constructive art in Germany. I am not aware of any other artistic couple that, in such close artistic proximity for decades, has explored and advanced the methodical and aesthetic principles of constructive art in a similar yet distinctly different manner.

Throughout their partnership, Piper and Mahlmann have continuously delved into the intricacies of constructive art, pushing the boundaries of their discipline with each new creation. Their tireless pursuit of perfection has resulted in a rich and varied body of work that stands as a testament to their unwavering dedication to their craft.

Their artistic endeavors have not only made significant contributions to the development of concrete-constructive art in Germany, but also served as a source of inspiration for fellow artists. Their marriage of artistic expression and technical precision has paved the way for future generations of artists to explore the endless possibilities of this genre.

As a writer, it is important to acknowledge the unique achievements of Piper and Mahlmann while refraining from attempting to decipher their enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism. Let their art speak for itself, as it continues to captivate and inspire audiences for generations to come.

www.ftn-books.com has a Piper screen print now available,

In the bustling Paris of the early twentieth century, the young artist Michel Seuphor (1901–1999) visits Piet Mondrian’s studio. The building leaves little impression on Seuphor, as he recalls, “The little courtyard, where the entrance to Mondrian’s studio was located, was very miserable. The stairwell was a bit of a mess.” However, once inside, Seuphor experiences something extraordinary: “beauty, peace, serenity, and balance.” In the studio, Mondrian’s vision and precision are palpable. It is a place where art and philosophy converge.

This encounter marks the beginning of a lifelong friendship between the two artists, who continue to inspire each other. Together, they create a tableau-poème, where painting and poetry merge. Seuphor also writes the first monograph on Mondrian, shedding light on his life and work. In addition to being a writer, Seuphor also develops as an artist with his own distinctive visual language. His art is characterized by a clear focus on line, geometry, and rhythm, expressed through drawings and large wall hangings.

www.ftn-books.com has several Seuphor publications now available.

Cesar Domela (15 January 1900 – 30 December 1992) was a Dutch artist known for his sculpture, painting, photography, and typography, and for his involvement in the De Stijl movement. Born in Amsterdam as César Domela Nieuwenhuis, his father was a former Lutheran pastor and prominent anarcho-socialist in the Dutch government. Despite lacking formal training, Domela lived in Ascona, Switzerland from 1919-1923, where he developed his Constructivist style heavily influenced by Cubism. Initially focusing on landscapes and still life, his work evolved to incorporate geometric forms. In 1923, he moved to Berlin where he formed relationships with members of the influential November Group. That same year, he created his first nonrepresentational painting, consisting of vertical and horizontal lines and planes. In 1924, his first solo exhibition was held at the Galeria d’Audretsch. Domela became the youngest member of De Stijl in 1925, collaborating with renowned artists Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian. 

During this time, he explored various mediums and his work often combined three-dimensional reliefs with Plexiglas, metal, photomontages, and cutouts from advertisements. While he established a silkscreen process studio in 1934, relief remained his preferred medium and he elevated it to a high art form. Domela’s work was featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s 1936 exhibition “Cubism and Abstract Art” in New York City. In addition to his artistic pursuits, he also ventured into typography and was commissioned for advertisements in Germany. With the rise of Hitler in 1933, Domela fled Berlin and resettled in Paris, where he lived until his death in 1992. He was forced to destroy a large portion of his library, which contained books written by anarchists, many of which he had designed. French director Alain Resnais created a film about Domela in 1947.

www.ftn-books.com has several Domela items available including a signed print.

Born in Cholet in 1943, Michel Jouet is a painter, sculptor, and draftsman. His love for drawing began in his childhood, leading him to participate in exhibitions in Cholet, Nantes, and the International Contemporary Art Festival in Royan from 1970 to 1973. After a hiatus of about fifteen years, the artist returns to the public eye, utilizing his favorite colors of white and black. However, he does not shy away from using primary colors in his pieces. Some of his works are also enhanced with a touch of metallic elements or a hanging plumb line, adding depth to the visual experience.

www.ftnbooks.com has a collage by Jouet now available.

The work of Dré Devens often consists of a sparse, yet impactful, array of lines, slicing through both physical space and the space of paper. Through eliminations and subtle interventions, he dissects the space, rebuilding it as a constructivist. In doing so, he invites the viewer to a novel spatial experience. With his actions, he brings order to chaos, allowing the space and his interventions to coexist, generating a new ideal.

www.ftn-books.com has a drawing by Drevens now available.

Sigurd Rompza fervently believes that his work compels the observer to partake in it, a sentiment shared by a multitude of 20th-century artists. The origin of this participation lies in the movement initiated by the eye as it analyzes the space it perceives. The linear relief of the form plays on the flat surface of the wall, inviting the eye to follow its development and the observer to partake in an unknowing movement. Rompza’s light objects, consisting of forms and colors, allow the eye to appreciate the beginning of a volume’s movement.

Rompza’s wall objects and reliefs serve as invitations for observers to take on different perspectives and examine them closely: the relationship of surfaces and their colors depending on the location, the transforming influence of light on the effect of colors and forms, and the mechanisms behind our vision as an underlying principle.

Sigurd Rompza’s declared goal is “to create objects specifically for sensual cognizance,” a goal he has unwaveringly pursued for many years with exceptional artistic skill and conceptual acuity. His Sehstücke are designed to embody the process of seeing in and of themselves. “Working in the visual arts necessarily entails addressing the ‘nature of seeing’,” says Rompza. “And the ‘nature of seeing’ entails how seeing takes place. The act of seeing is not static, but rather unfolds in a procession of correspondences: the ambiguous interrelation of visual elements, medial equivocation, shifting spaces, the relation of color to form, and open-ended pictorial cycles. Artworks conceived with seeing in mind open up possibilities for productive ways of seeing: of seeing form and colors in motion, light and shadow, interiors as exteriors, and vice versa.”

www.ftn-books.com has a Rompza print available.