L'Enveloppe 1968

Antoni Tàpies made L'Enveloppe using paint to explore a subdued palette and process-oriented abstraction. The materiality of this painting is fascinating, as the subtle variations in texture invite a close look. The paint seems thinly applied in some areas, allowing the canvas to peek through, while elsewhere, there are thicker, more opaque passages, particularly in the central motifs. I'm drawn to the bold, X-shaped lines slashing across the canvas – they add a sense of structure, almost like a crude framework holding the more fluid, amorphous forms in check. Tàpies, like many artists, was in conversation with those who came before him. I'm reminded of Kurt Schwitters' collages, with their use of found materials and fragmented forms. Art isn't about providing easy answers, it's about opening up possibilities.