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Lot Essay
Armando's experiences during World War II near the transit-camp 'Kamp Amersfoort' formed the base for most of his work. His well known Peintures Criminelles, led to much controversy at the end of the 1950's and a critic even called them 'Ontaarde Kunst'.
In 1958 Armando was asked by Henk Peeters to join 'de Informele Groep', together with Kees van Bohemen, Jan Schoonhoven, Bram Bogart, Jan Hendrikse en Theo Bennes. They experimented with all kinds of materials, in order to direct the attention of the viewer to the surface of the painting, instead of traditionally toward the subject-matter. The surface looks like everyday, raw materials: old eroded walls, the structure of cracked ground, vegetation, water etc.
Eventually 'de Informele Groep' broke up in 1961. Several members (Armando, Peeters, Schoonhoven and Hendrikse) formed a new group: Nul. They set a new course, which was more objective and straight forward.
The present lot is a key work in the development of Armando as a Nul artist. At first sight it can not be compared with his previous work from the Informele Groep. The surface is entirely flat. But the use of materials still is essential. It shows six blue painted metal sheets which are nailed to the surface. There is nothing that distracts the viewer from looking to the materials that Armando applied. It is what it is. The plain materials give the impression that we are looking to something that an industrial machine has created, not an artist. The artist is not an artist anymore. Armando did not want to comment on the reality, but registers objectively the everyday environment. Armando wanted to: "Niet ironiseren. Niet interpreteren. Intensivering door middel van isoleren of annexeren van fragmenten uit de werkelijkheid." (Fons Heijnsbroek, quoted on: www.dekunsten.net/dk-citatenabstractekunst-armando.html)
In 1958 Armando was asked by Henk Peeters to join 'de Informele Groep', together with Kees van Bohemen, Jan Schoonhoven, Bram Bogart, Jan Hendrikse en Theo Bennes. They experimented with all kinds of materials, in order to direct the attention of the viewer to the surface of the painting, instead of traditionally toward the subject-matter. The surface looks like everyday, raw materials: old eroded walls, the structure of cracked ground, vegetation, water etc.
Eventually 'de Informele Groep' broke up in 1961. Several members (Armando, Peeters, Schoonhoven and Hendrikse) formed a new group: Nul. They set a new course, which was more objective and straight forward.
The present lot is a key work in the development of Armando as a Nul artist. At first sight it can not be compared with his previous work from the Informele Groep. The surface is entirely flat. But the use of materials still is essential. It shows six blue painted metal sheets which are nailed to the surface. There is nothing that distracts the viewer from looking to the materials that Armando applied. It is what it is. The plain materials give the impression that we are looking to something that an industrial machine has created, not an artist. The artist is not an artist anymore. Armando did not want to comment on the reality, but registers objectively the everyday environment. Armando wanted to: "Niet ironiseren. Niet interpreteren. Intensivering door middel van isoleren of annexeren van fragmenten uit de werkelijkheid." (Fons Heijnsbroek, quoted on: www.dekunsten.net/dk-citatenabstractekunst-armando.html)