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Composition
Details
Otto Freundlich (1878-1943)
Composition
signé, daté et dédicacé 'Herrn Dr. Wartmann von Otto Freundlich. 30' (le long du bord inférieur)
encre de Chine sur papier
29.8 x 19.1 cm.
Exécuté en 1930
signed, dated and dedicated 'Herrn Dr. Wartmann von Otto Freundlich. 30' (lower edge)
brush and pen and India ink on paper
11 ¾ x 7 ½ in.
Executed in 1930
Composition
signé, daté et dédicacé 'Herrn Dr. Wartmann von Otto Freundlich. 30' (le long du bord inférieur)
encre de Chine sur papier
29.8 x 19.1 cm.
Exécuté en 1930
signed, dated and dedicated 'Herrn Dr. Wartmann von Otto Freundlich. 30' (lower edge)
brush and pen and India ink on paper
11 ¾ x 7 ½ in.
Executed in 1930
Provenance
Dr. Wilhelm Wartmann, Zurich (don de l'artiste).
Collection particulière, Zurich (don de celui-ci puis par descendance); sa vente, Koller Auktionen, Zurich, 4 décembre 2015, lot 3251.
Galerie Berinson, Berlin (acquis au cours de cette vente).
Acquis auprès de celui-ci par les propriétaires actuels le 5 novembre 2017.
Collection particulière, Zurich (don de celui-ci puis par descendance); sa vente, Koller Auktionen, Zurich, 4 décembre 2015, lot 3251.
Galerie Berinson, Berlin (acquis au cours de cette vente).
Acquis auprès de celui-ci par les propriétaires actuels le 5 novembre 2017.
Further details
Comptant parmi les pionniers de l’abstraction précoce, Otto Freundlich insuffle une énergie singulière aux formes géométriques déployées sur une surface bidimensionnelle qui construit néanmoins une impression de profondeur grâce au jeu entre plans noirs denses, formes opaques et zones de respiration soigneusement préservées.Bien que Freundlich travaille dans de multiples médiums - peinture, sculpture, mosaïque et vitrail - ses réalisations les plus marquantes se situent dans le domaine de l’abstraction. Son intérêt pour les techniques artisanales telles que la mosaïque, la tapisserie et le vitrail se révèle particulièrement déterminant. De mars à juillet 1914, il travaille dans l’atelier de restauration des vitraux de la cathédrale de Chartres, écrivant à son ami Karl Schmidt-Rottluff : « Pendantcinq mois, j’ai été prisonnier du monde de Chartres et j’en suis ressorti marqué pour toujours. » Son étude des vitraux des XIIe et XIIIe siècles, conjuguée à ses propres expérimentations dans le vitrail et la mosaïque entre 1922 et 1924, s’avère décisive dans l’élaboration de son langage formel.Freundlich développe ainsi un système compositionnel fondé sur des triangles et des quadrilatères irréguliers qui s’infléchissent en contours courbes, formant des structures évoquant les vitraux ou les mosaïques. Il considère la courbe comme l’élément primordial du monde tridimensionnel, symbole d’un lien universel. Conçue en 1930, la présente Composition se déploie comme une constellation dynamique de formes géométriques pleines. Pour Freundlich, l’abstraction représente un renouveau radical dépassant largement le seul domaine artistique. Les segments courbes évoquent les conceptions contemporaines de l’espace inspirées par les idées d’Albert Einstein, auxquelles l’artiste est très tôt attentif. Par ses recherches non figuratives, il aspire à ce qu’il nomme une « morale cosmique », cherchant à harmoniser forme et fond afin de créer une unité spirituelle.
[1] Musée national d'art moderne, de, A. and Pouillon, N. (1987). La collection du Musée national d’art moderne, p. 228.
The present Composition reflects the core principles of his artistic philosophy. In this work, the viewer is immersed in Freundlich’s abstract universe. As one of the pioneers of early abstraction, he energises geometric forms within a two-dimensional surface that nonetheless builds a sense of depth through the interplay of dense black planes, opaque forms, and carefully preserved areas of emptiness.Although Freundlich worked across multiple media, including painting, sculpture, mosaic, and stained glass, his most significant achievements emerged in abstraction. His fascination with craft techniques such as mosaic, tapestry, and stained glass proved especially formative. From March to July 1914, he worked in the stained-glass restoration workshop of the Chartres Cathedral, writing to his friend Karl Schmidt-Rottluff: “For five months I was prisoner of the world at Chartres and I have emerged marked for ever.” His study of 12th and 13th century stained glass, together with his own experiments in stained glass and mosaic between 1922 and 1924, proved decisive in shaping his formal language.Freundlich developed a compositional system of irregular triangles and quadrilaterals bending into curved contours, forming structures reminiscent of stained-glass windows or mosaics. He regarded the curve as the primordial element of the three-dimensional world, symbolising a universal bond. Conceived in 1930, the present Composition consists of a dynamic constellation of solid geometric shapes. For Freundlich, abstraction represented a radical renewal extending far beyond art itself. The curved segments evoke contemporary conceptions of space informed by the ideas of Albert Einstein, with which the artist was familiar early on. He aspired, through his non-representational endeavors, to what he described as a “cosmic morality,” seeking to harmonise form and ground in order to create a spiritual unity.
[1] Musée national d'art moderne, de, A. and Pouillon, N. (1987). La collection du Musée national d’art moderne, p. 228.
The present Composition reflects the core principles of his artistic philosophy. In this work, the viewer is immersed in Freundlich’s abstract universe. As one of the pioneers of early abstraction, he energises geometric forms within a two-dimensional surface that nonetheless builds a sense of depth through the interplay of dense black planes, opaque forms, and carefully preserved areas of emptiness.Although Freundlich worked across multiple media, including painting, sculpture, mosaic, and stained glass, his most significant achievements emerged in abstraction. His fascination with craft techniques such as mosaic, tapestry, and stained glass proved especially formative. From March to July 1914, he worked in the stained-glass restoration workshop of the Chartres Cathedral, writing to his friend Karl Schmidt-Rottluff: “For five months I was prisoner of the world at Chartres and I have emerged marked for ever.” His study of 12th and 13th century stained glass, together with his own experiments in stained glass and mosaic between 1922 and 1924, proved decisive in shaping his formal language.Freundlich developed a compositional system of irregular triangles and quadrilaterals bending into curved contours, forming structures reminiscent of stained-glass windows or mosaics. He regarded the curve as the primordial element of the three-dimensional world, symbolising a universal bond. Conceived in 1930, the present Composition consists of a dynamic constellation of solid geometric shapes. For Freundlich, abstraction represented a radical renewal extending far beyond art itself. The curved segments evoke contemporary conceptions of space informed by the ideas of Albert Einstein, with which the artist was familiar early on. He aspired, through his non-representational endeavors, to what he described as a “cosmic morality,” seeking to harmonise form and ground in order to create a spiritual unity.
Brought to you by
Antoine Lebouteiller
International Specialist