Victoria Combalia Analyzes Antoni Tàpies' 1981 Painting 'Esquena'

Victoria Combalia examines Antoni Tàpies' 1981 painting 'Esquena' to explore the Spanish artist's philosophical approach. Tàpies began his artistic career in the immediate post-war European period, belonging to a generation that could no longer access the utopian strength of heroic avant-gardes. For Tàpies, art represented a sphere of freedom within a deeply artificial, mechanized, and impersonal world. Combalia's analysis focuses specifically on this 1981 work as a lens through which to understand Tàpies' artistic perspective. The artist's career emerged during a transformative period in European history following World War II. Tàpies' work reflects his view of art as an autonomous realm distinct from the artificiality of modern society. Combalia's selection of 'Esquena' provides a specific entry point into Tàpies' broader artistic philosophy. The painting serves as a case study for understanding how Tàpies positioned art against what he perceived as an increasingly mechanized world.