Tapies, Van Gogh, And Munch Antoni Tapies' Composition with Figures (1945) is a work of modern art that uses the impasto technique to create a figurative or symbolic painting. Its style and use of color appear to be inspired by Van Gogh, yet its melancholic tone and expression (most clearly seen in the hollow, hopelessness of the central subject's eyes) appear inspired by Munch. Tapies' Composition comes at the beginning of his career but at a time in history when the modern world has already attempted to rip itself apart twice (WWI and WWII). Thus, one sees in this composition a subject located between two extremes with a "celestial light" above it that does not seem to be able to fill the entity below. Yet what the light is doing is indeterminable exactly because the more one looks at the painting, the more realizes that it contains complexities that arouse in the viewer a respect for the unknowable and a reverence for things spiritual. Part of that feeling of reverence stems from the fact that Tapies channels two artists, who also evinced a reverence for the spiritual side of life (though perhaps in unconventional ways). The overall post-Impressionistic/Symbolist aesthetic of the piece reflects the movement of Modern Art from the time of Van Gogh and Munch to Tapies (Wolfe, 1975). This paper will explore this aesthetic and show how it fits into the larger Modern art historical framework.

Tapies' Composition depicts an androgynous figure in the center of the canvas, hedged in on either side by anonymous twins. Above the nameless central figure is a symbolic but abstract figure (a bird, a dove, a small person?). Conventional religious allegory would suggest that it is a bird, a symbol of the Holy Ghost, whose spiritual purity radiates from it in the form of yellow light. The two figures on either side of the central figure reverently bow their heads and close their eyes as though in prayer with the Spirit. Yet the central figure's eyes are open and the face expresses fear, worry, concern and even dread. The source of light is behind the central figure so that he/she is more in shadow than in light. But the heads of two hedging figures reflect some of the light and as they sit somewhat higher than the central figure they project a kind of condescending tone, as though their spirituality were dwarfing the central figure, who appears to be the intended recipient of the gift of light. However, the light does not appear to be getting through and perhaps is being stolen by the "angels" on left and right of the figure. Their satisfied expressions contrast with the unfulfilled expression of the central figure and suggest that there is some conflict between the main subject and the light that is brought by the Holy Spirit. Something is getting in the way, whether the two attendants or something inside the central figure -- some psychological or spiritual obstacle that blocks out the light. This obstacle is what echoes the dread of Munch and the light is what echoes Van Gogh: both artists made use of impasto strokes and the same technique is evident here (Cirlot, 2009). But the subject is much more modern in the sense that the inner conflict is all the more apparent, visually represented in clear symbolic terms (Turner, 2015).

Tapies blends the symbolist style with the abstract to create a work that focuses solely on the action rather than on the characters. The characters are not the main heart of the narrative, rather than action is. The action conveyed is one of spiritual exhaustion or spiritual loss. The personal conflict of the central character is unknown, as they subject is primarily painted in an abstract/symbolist form: we do not even know the individual's gender. The action is what serves as the point of the painting's narrative -- the dissemination of light and the overbearing smugness of the "light-grabbers," whose faces are thrust in the face of the central figure and seem to judge him/her for not "getting" the light. The frustration apparent on the face of the central figure is the most palpable expression in the work, indicating that the subject is this frustration and the viewer is meant to feel it.

Munch's work was influenced by the Post-Impressionists and the exploration of psychological states that Munch's work does is similar to the exploration in Tapies' Composition. Munch's Scream (1893) for instance or Dance of Life (1900) both offer vibrant depictions of an unhealthy...

In Scream the central figure is in a state of mental anguish: the conditions are unknown and just as in Tapies' Composition, the reasons are not necessarily important. What is important is the action that Munch is depicting: an average person experiencing a mental breakdown and collapse on an otherwise peaceful, beautiful day at the beach. In other words what should be a sort of vacation or holiday turns into a nightmare: the reasons one might speculate upon -- betrayal, loss of love, fear of dear, existential dread. The technique that Munch employs is more important in terms of overall aesthetic: it is abstract; colors and lines are distorted. Yet the impression is discernible. This is the picture of madness/frustration underneath the surface of convention. Likewise, the composition of Dance of Life shows a zombie-like group of dead apparently dead people dancing a waltz. The meaning is clear: the society that Munch observes is morally/spiritually dead; there is no life in it even though the external signs of life are all there. Munch shows what is internal -- and this is similar to what Tapies does in Composition. The pose and gestures of the figures in Munch's Dance suggest the onset of ennui and despair -- characters going through the motions and little else. This sense of ennui, however, is mostly apparent in the faces of the characters -- just as the frustration is apparent in the face of the central figure of Tapies' Composition.
One of the main differences between Munch's works and Tapies' Composition is the use of color. Munch prefers to work with darker colors as in Dance or Self-Portrait with Burning Cigarette (1895). The darker colors symbolize the deepness of the depression swirling around Munch's environment and soul. Tapies on the other hand channels Van Gogh when it comes to the use of color in Composition. Bright yellows are contrasted with blues and greens, giving it a very Van Gogh type of feeling. The colors that Van Gogh uses in Wheat Field with Crows (1890) are found in Composition and so too are the heavy impasto brushstrokes. Yet, Van Gogh employs a more stylistic gesture in his strokes, making passages that add to the composition's harmony. Tapies' strokes are ruder, more abrupt, less stylish. But that is the point of Tapies' composition: it is not meant to evoke the harmony of nature or the beautiful swirling lights of the night sky. Tapies uses the color schemes of the Post-Impressionist but couples them with the angst of the modern artist and the depression of Munch's abstract work. The beautiful colors of Van Gogh's countryside in Harvest (1889) are reflected in Tapies' painting, but the harmony and verisimilitude is missing. Instead, Tapies directs attention to the pose of the central character by using thick brush strokes and bathing the sides of the character in light.

Van Gogh's Wheat Field contains perhaps the seeds of Tapies' idea for Composition -- at least aesthetically speaking. The composition as a whole illustrates an action -- a conflict between the gathering gloom overhead of wind and night and the peacefulness of the field of wheat with its tall yellow grass. In between the two fly the crows, the black scavengers, who may serve as symbols of encroaching death. Like the two hedging figures in Composition, they make the viewer feel uneasy about the action being depicted. The interplay between the colors is also effective in the overall aesthetic because the bright yellows of the field contrast with the dark blues and blacks of the sky and crows. There is a sense of balance and proportion in the scene and Van Gogh's sense of proportion and harmony keeps the composition safe from being overwhelmed by too much action. It is really Van Gogh's strokes, however, that contrast so sharply with Tapies' even though they are both using the impasto method. Van Gogh's strokes are measured and controlled. Van Gogh was a skilled draughtsman and the skill is translated in the way he uses his brush (Johnson, 2003). Tapies is almost in this sense more of an impressionist than Van Gogh because Tapies is not as concerned with line and contour as Van Gogh, who strived for a more realistic depiction of his environment within the impressionistic framework. Tapies strives for mood, for the abstract representation of an action and a feeling. That is why the mood is exceptionally troubled like a Munch painting. Still, Tapies manages to combine the techniques of the two…