Judit Reigl

Private collection, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in 1964)
Acquired from the above by the current owner

The colours are fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration. The work is executed on its original canvas and is not relined. As visible in the catalogue illustration there are some nuances in the matt finishes inherent to the artist technique. Under close inspection a former frame mark is visible along the edges. There are some light stabilized cracks visible under close inspection in the white background in the lower part of the work and scattered in the black area, Under UV light inspection there is no evidence of any restoration. This work is in good condition.
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A major painting from the Ecriture en masse (1959-1965) cycle, the work presented in this auction perfectly illustrates the mastery with which Judit Reigl transcends pure matter. This was however not an easy task as Reigl chose to use ground black pigment that cannot be reworked or painted over to realize this monumental canvas. But Reigl knew exactly where she was going. Based on her experience of automatic writing, she was able to move beyond the finality of translating the unconscious in human words and aspire towards a deeper, more universal language. At a time when she was undeniably at the height of her art, Judit Reigl chose to explore original and sometimes difficult techniques in an attempt to endow her paintings with a cosmic dimension, true to the spirit that characterises her work from the first canvas she executed in France: Ils ont soif insatiable de l’infini. Ecriture en masse thus reveals the artist’s desire to decipher the universe through the energy of matter in order to bring an un-alphabetical understanding of the world.

It is important to understand these subtleties to capture the importance of Ecriture en masse, a landmark in the artist’s career without precedent in today’s painting. Each line, each curve traces the urges of the artist’s body, transformed into imaginary signs. Suddenly, mysterious forms emerge from the painting’s immaculate background, revealing its intimate truth. Unconsciously, the French-Hungarian artist therfore creates a dialogue with some the most iconic artists of her time such as Jackson Pollock or Clifford Still whose definition of primordial figurations reminds us of Ecriture en masse: “These are not paintings in the usual sense, they are life and death merging in fearful union. They kindle a fire; through them I breathe again, hold a golden cord, find my own revelation."