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“Art is an attempt to translate into a finite quantity of material shaped by man an image of the infinite beauty of the entire universe. If this endeavour succeeds, that portion of material should not hide the universe but rather reveal its reality.”
Simone Weil
How does Eusebio Sempere manage to encapsulate the essence of nature itself in a play of balance, tension, lines and stripes? His approach is based on compositions using geometric linework, overlapping, effects of light and chromatic strata. This is how Sempere ventures in search of nature’s essential harmony.
Nature, skill and playfulness
Eusebio Sempere (1923-1985), painter, graphic artist and sculptor, is one of the most significant figures in 20th century Spanish art, to which he contributed a uniquely personal vision in what is known as “kinetic” abstraction.
Sempere demands our attention, inviting us to observe the harmony that resides in his work. Time and again, this balance emerges from the audacious interplay of movement and tension; equilibrium is recovered at the last minute, saved right before our eyes.
This is a visual language of directed lines and stripes with reflections of light and colour. No wonder, then, that we recognize in Sempere’s shades, materials, and composition the essential beauty of landscape.
In Sempere’s work we can appreciate the courage of an artist who, in search of his distinctive language and singularity, sets out to unlearn what he has learned, to redraw his own path built on the solid foundation gained by observing and studying the art world’s great masters. Confident and intrepid, Sempere seems aware that it is through intuition, through the triumph of the unexpected over the time-worn and through the exercise of free will that the artist manages to create things which have never before existed.
Sempere’s vocabulary
Air, light, the interaction between them and their relationship with materials is the subject matter of Sempere’s art. Lines, stripes and tensions which divide up empty space, fragmenting it to reveal a geometric spectacle of time and space. Scenic happenings where vibration seems to open up new routes, penetrating dark material. Kinetic creation, playful workings of synthetic lines in abstract composition; Sempere moves here with the skills of a master tightrope walker. He presents us material underpinned by light, geometry and colour, expressed in a consistent visual language which seems to share the laws of harmony on which the universe is hinged.
Exhibitions: Sempere’s work is currently on view in the exhibition ‘Parallel Lines’ at Galería Fernández-Braso, which provides the opportunity to observe his pieces in dialogue with artwork by Soledad Sevilla. The Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca also has work by Sempere on display and one of his sculptures is located in the gardens of Fundación Juan March, Madrid.
Photography: Oscar Rivilla
Translation: Rebekah Jane Rhodes
Music: Dr Symptosizer
Art direction: Oscar Rivilla y Carolina Verd
Styling collaboration: Carolina Omaña
Fashion:
Main picture: dress by Dolce&Gabbana vintage
Picture 2: dress by Luijo courtesy of Finally; shoes Di Bella García courtesy of Briant Park Communication.
Picure 3: dress by Luis Perdomo courtesy of Brian Park Communication; boots by Mango courtesy of Finally.
Carolina Verd 