The Threshold of the Abstract

I wrote yesterday that most of Mexico City's Museum of Modern Art is taken up with special exhibits, and I found only two of the five exhibits to be of any interest.  One of them was called "Enrique Echevarría: the Threshold of the Abstract".  I had never heard of Echevarría (1923-1972), but he was considered an important Mexican painter of his generation.  The exhibit shows how his work during his short lifetime became increasingly abstract.

"Self Portrait", 1964

Early in his career he spent a number of years in Spain, and his work is largely figurative... in other words, his subject matter is recognizable.

"The Chair" 1943

"Pío Baroja" 1953

(Baroja was a famous Spanish author.)

"Landscape without Name" 1953

"Ballerina" 1955

"Santillana del Mar" 1956

(Santillana del Mar is a town in northern Spain.)

"Doña Flor" 1956

By the 1960s his style had become increasingly abstract, although his subject matter was still recognizable.

"Soccer Players" 1962

"The Flutist" 1962

"Thought" 1964

"Ester Guitarist" 1965

(Ester was his wife.)

By the late 60s, his work had become completely abstract and largely non-representational.

"Offering No. 1" 1968

"Reminisces of Landscape" 1968

"Astronaut" 1968

Readers of this blog know that my artistic taste tends to be rather old fashioned, so it should come as no surprise that I much prefer his earlier works.  However, it was interesting to observe how his style evolved over the years.