Eduardo Chillida began his graphic work in 1959, with the exception of several previous works with the Maegth Gallery in Paris. According to some critics, this is completely independent of his sculpture and makes complete sense in itself as an artistic expression, without being an approximate reflection; but it is no less true that it does maintain some formal and conceptual parallels, and even referential ones, with his sculpture, as can be seen in the 1990 etching, Elogio del Horizonte (In Praise of the Horizon).
The exhibition consists of a total of thirty-two pieces and five artist's books with their corresponding suites. It is a minimal but very significant journey through Chillida's extensive graphic work from the seventies to the nineties. There is a wide representation of some of the techniques that the artist used in his production, such as etching, aquatint, drypoint, woodcut, silkscreen and embossing. At the same time, some very interesting formal investigations and experimental techniques are shown: the use of matrixes with irregular shapes, which enhance the plastic expression in the composition of the piece, can be seen in Bikaina XI; the decentralisation of the image on the paper to generate effects of levitation in the compositions is present in Casa de Goya; the use of sanguine prints, proposing spatial openings in the composition, appears in Cruz; the combination of silkscreen printing with embossing, confronting two opposing techniques in Flor; as well as a magnificent piece from the Gravitaciones series entitled Homenaje a Barandiarán I, in which suspension is the fundamental theme and the articulation of various volumetric planes arises through the incorporation of two cut and silkscreen printed papers, introducing relief as an essential and material part of the work; the use of embossing, reaching the limits of formal and luminous delicacy, is present in the suite of the book Poema de Parménides; the magic of drawing emerges in two prints that include a structural and recurrent theme in his work, the hand, the first Leku, and another print that corresponds to the illustration of Jorge Semprún's book Escritura o vida (Writing or Life); In both we can see the reference to sculpture, the hand as an element that configures the essentiality of volume; the first piece is done with drypoint and shows great delicacy in its treatment, as well as a certain vibratory sense in one of the fingers; but in both pieces he achieves the mastery of constructing volume with the line, like Picasso and Matisse.
Another outstanding and very important aspect of his production are the projects dedicated to artist's books; in this exhibition there are five magnificent artist's books. In this type of work, there is an openness and creative dialogue between Chillida and the authors with whom he works directly or from whom he draws inspiration. In the set of books presented here, a small but significant journey is made through some of the themes and creators that have most interested this great artist, showing one of his lesser-known facets, that of an intellectual. Philosophy is present in the hand of Parmenides, with his book Poema (1999), with a magnificent suite of six grofs. The world of playwriting emerges with Aeschylus and the book The Persians (1978), with a suite of four woodcuts with a very intense aerial sense. The approach to the world of literature and poetry comes from Jorge Guillén with Más Allá (1976), with a suite of sixteen splendid woodcuts, three of which are dry-printed. Also with Jorge Semprún with La escritura o la vida (1997), a book that presents a magnificent drypoint of a hand, and with Clara Janés with La indetenible quietud (1998), which provides a suite of six etchings in which an intense volumetric sense is proposed by means of textures.
The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the disinterested collaboration and facilities provided by six collectors from León, Madrid, San Juan de Luz (France), Oviedo and also to the participation of the Caja Negra Gallery in Madrid, to whom we would like to express our gratitude.
New visiting hours, corresponding to the winter season:
Tuesday to Sunday from 12.00 to 14.00 and from 16.00 to 19.00.
Monday closed
Department of Education and Cultural Action:
Didactic workshops on printing.
Guided tours of the exhibition for groups:
They will be attended and coordinated according to previous request.
