1990-2003. Color and abstraction

The theme derived from the tyre takes an unexpected turn starting in 1990. The artist’s pursuit of still-unexplored possibilities results in a spectacular rebirth of colour that floods the simple geometry of the forms. The reference to the world of representation has definitively disappeared.

It is inevitable to first mention the most striking work in the room, Sabro nº 2, created between 1989 and 1991. It is composed of simple elements formed by horizontal and diagonal bands creating more or less sharp angles. An initial impression of depth and a third dimension is produced, which is then seemingly contradicted by the logic of the colour fields — vivid and flat reds, oranges, yellows, blacks, and blues — that play with our gaze to inspire and shift the imagination.

The structure of the images comes from fragments and details of the tyre’s structure, enlarged and stylised, but the rhythm of the lines and colours, together with the schematism of the forms, makes one forget their origin. The two large square canvases, Kristal 4 (2000) and TS 760 (2002), are examples of this. Yet any of the other six pieces in the room allow us to explore all the nuances — not only of oil painting, but also of acrylic, watercolour, and pastel.