Untitled 1961

Asger Jorn made this untitled artwork with ink and watercolor on paper; we don't know precisely when. Jorn was a Danish artist who co-founded the avant-garde movement COBRA in 1948. COBRA artists rejected rationalism and geometric abstraction, instead favoring spontaneity and experimentation. Looking at this piece, we can see how Jorn cultivated these values with an anarchic and impulsive approach to abstraction. The gestural marks, drips, and chaotic composition reflect the group's desire to break free from traditional art academies and bourgeois cultural values. Jorn's art invites us to consider the social conditions that shape artistic production. Historical documents and archives related to the COBRA movement reveal how these artists aimed to create art that was accessible and relevant to everyday life, challenging the elitism often associated with the art world. We can examine manifestos, exhibition catalogs, and personal correspondence to gain deeper insights into their motivations. This way of engaging with art history allows us to understand art's power to question social norms.