Antoni Tàpies (1923–2012) was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and art theorist, one of the most famous European artists of his generation, known for his mixed-media works incorporating unconventional materials.
Antoni Tàpies created monumental, huge paintings that were incredible—the sheer scale impressed me. But more than that, it was what he was doing with materials. Why not? Why not use giant gestures? Why not create concepts out of sand and glue in 1958? He was way ahead of his time, influenced by Franz Kline but taking material exploration somewhere entirely his own.
Tàpies showed me that paint doesn't have to be just paint. By introducing materials like marble dust and sand, he created surfaces that felt ancient, weathered, tactile—surfaces that carried their own history. His work has a physical presence that goes beyond the visual. You want to touch it, to understand how it was made, to trace the marks with your fingers.
That material exploration—the idea that texture and surface could carry meaning—opened up possibilities for my own practice with cold wax and mixed media.
MY FAVOURITE PIECE
Great Painting (Gran pintura) (1958)
Oil with marble dust and sand on canvas, 200.7 × 262.9 cm (79 × 103.5 in)
