Figuration Narrative

Figuration Narrative is an art movement that emerged in France during the 1960s, a period marked by political tension and societal shifts. This artistic movement, centered in Paris, responded to the dominance of abstract art and the proliferation of consumerist imagery. Artists associated with Figuration Narrative sought to create figurative works that conveyed narrative and social commentary.

Key figures such as Valerio Adami, Eduardo Arroyo, Erró, Gérard Fromanger, Jacques Monory, Bernard Rancillac, Peter Saul, Hervé Télémaque, and Cybèle Varela contributed to this movement. These artists addressed contemporary society and its imagery, drawing from sources like advertising, comic strips, and film. However, they distinguished themselves from their American Pop Art counterparts by rejecting an "art for the sake of art" ethos.^[1] Artists used socio-political commentary in their works, influenced by events such as the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and notably, Eduardo Arroyo, a Spanish contemporary artist born in Madrid in 1937, became a prominent member of the Madrid School, which was known for its opposition to the Francoist regime.^[2]^[3]

The movement's development can be traced through significant exhibitions, notably "Mythologies quotidiennes" in 1964, organized by art critic Gérald Gassiot-Talabot and painters Bernard Rancillac and Hervé Télémaque. This exhibition featured 34 artists and aimed to counter the influence of Pop Art and American art. Subsequent events, such as the 16th Salon de la Jeune Peinture in 1965, further solidified the movement's focus on social and political engagement.

Figuration Narrative incorporated diverse artistic techniques, including the use of photography, film, and comic book aesthetics. Artists explored various methods of conveying narrative, such as the simultaneous depiction of multiple spaces, the superposition of images, and the combination of different perspectives. They also addressed political themes, employing techniques like parody and critical realism.

The movement's engagement with history and memory is evident in the works of artists like Erró, Valerio Adami, and Equipo Crónica, who incorporated historical references and critiques into their art. Figuration Narrative also explored the role of the viewer, with artists experimenting with techniques to engage the audience and elicit interpretations.

History[]

In 1962, narrative structures emerged in the works of artists such as Peter Klasen, who had been in Paris since 1959, and Hervé Télémaque, who arrived from New York that year. Télémaque subsequently met Bernard Rancillac, who was participating in the Salon de la jeune peinture alongside Eduardo Arroyo, Gilles Aillaud, and Antonio Recalcati. This group was influenced by Henri Cueco and shared a commitment to challenging capitalist power, as did Peter Saul, also from New York.

The first exhibition of Nouveau Réaliste artists occurred in Paris in November 1960 at the Avant-Garde Festival. In November 1962, the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York held an exhibition that included the first collective showing of American Pop Art artists. From May to June 1963, the American Center in Paris presented "De A à Z," showcasing 31 emerging American Pop Art artists. Simultaneously, Ileana Sonnabend's gallery exhibited Roy Lichtenstein's initial series of comic-strip-based works from 1961. During the third Biennale de Paris in late September 1963, Eduardo Arroyo gained recognition for his polyptych "Les Quatre Dictateurs," a series of dictator portraits including Franco, which provoked protest from the Spanish government.

The phrase "figuration narrative" predates the 1960s, having been inspired by Peter Foldès' use of sequential progression in his animated films. However, the movement solidified with the "Mythologies quotidiennes" exhibition from July to October 1964 at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, organized by Marie-Claude Dane at the request of Rancillac and Télémaque. Klasen, Arroyo, Recalcati, Jacques Monory, Leonardo Cremonini, Jan Voss, and Öyvind Fahlström also participated. The preceding June, Robert Rauschenberg received the grand prize at the Venice Biennale, which lessened the media impact of the Paris exhibition.

In October 1965, Gérald Gassiot-Talabot presented "La Figuration narrative dans l'art contemporain" at the Galerie Creuze. This exhibition featured the polyptych "Vivre et laisser mourir ou la fin tragique de Marcel Duchamp" by Arroyo, Aillaud, and Recalcati, considered the movement's manifesto. The "Bande dessinée et figuration narrative" exhibition followed in 1966 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

The movement encouraged collective works, particularly polyptychs, as seen in Arroyo's 1963 "Les Quatre Dictateurs" and Télémaque's "My Darling Clementine." "Une passion dans le désert," a 1965 work by Arroyo, Aillaud, and Recalcati, consisted of thirteen canvases based on a Balzac story. Each artist modified the others' contributions, rejecting individual style in favor of anonymity. "Vivre et laisser mourir ou la fin tragique de Marcel Duchamp," featuring a sequence depicting Duchamp's assassination, critiqued conceptual art and related movements. This work divided the artists at the Galerie Creuze exhibition.

Henri Cueco, Lucien Fleury, Gilt, Jean-Claude Latil, Michel Parré, and Gérard Tisserand formed the Coopérative des Malassis from 1970 to 1977. Their 1972 work "Le Grand Méchoui ou douze ans d'histoire de France" caused controversy during the "Expo Pompidou" opening. "Mythologies quotidiennes 2" was presented in 1977 at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

Artists associated with the movement, particularly those involved in the Salon de la jeune peinture, adopted a left-wing militant stance. Rancillac, Arroyo, Aillaud, Fromanger, and Cueco participated in L'Atelier populaire des Beaux-Arts de Paris during May 1968. Rancillac is credited with the "Nous sommes tous des Juifs et des Allemands" poster. Herman Braun, while associated with these artists, documented the era's events. Philosophers Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Derrida, Louis Althusser, Paul Virilio, and Jean-François Lyotard commented on the works of Fromanger, Adami, Cremonini, Klasen, and Monory, respectively. Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Lacan, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, and Louis Althusser are depicted in the 1969 collaborative painting "La Datcha."

The market for Figuration Narrative works saw increased interest starting in 2006. Retrospectives were held in 2006 and 2008.^[4]

Visuals[]

Figuration Narrative's visual language drew extensively from various sources, incorporating elements of comic strips, cinema, photography, and advertising to reflect everyday life and address social and political themes. Artists employed techniques to depict duration within static images, such as the simultaneous representation of spaces, the superimposition of planes, and the combination of different framings.

Jacques Monory, for instance, used cinematic techniques in works like "Le Meurtre n°10/2" by organizing his paintings as if they were film sequences. Peter Klasen often superimposed photographic images from magazines, while Gianni Bertini juxtaposed photographic reports on sensitized canvases, creating a montage of various viewpoints. Öyvind Fahlström introduced a participatory dimension to narrative by creating variable paintings that invited viewer interaction.

The movement also explored the isolation of figures, as seen in Peter Stämpfli's work, and addressed themes of exile through discontinuous narratives, exemplified by Hervé Télémaque's "My Darling Clementine." Political themes were addressed through parodic figuration, as in Peter Saul's "Poverty," and critical realism, as in Gilles Aillaud's depictions of caged animals.

Artists also reflected on the nature of painting itself. Bernard Rancillac, in his series based on magazine photographs, challenged the traditional concept of painting by confronting it with photographic imagery. Gérard Fromanger's work often incorporated elements of cinema, presenting paintings as stills from a film, complete with a "voice-over" in the form of accompanying text.

The movement's engagement with history was evident in works that revisited art history, such as Erró's "The Background of Pollock," and offered critical readings of historical figures and events, as seen in Valerio Adami's "Il gile di Lenine" and Equipo Crónica's "A Maïakovski." Eduardo Arroyo's work often presented a new form of history painting, addressing contemporary social and political issues through his depictions of figures like "El caballero español."

Philosophy[]

The movement lacked a formal manifesto, but its theoretical framework was articulated by art critic Gérald Gassiot-Talabot in a 1965 publication. This movement narrowed the scope of New Figuration by defining narrative art as any work employing representational imagery to depict duration, whether through the movement of objects within the canvas, sequential imagery, or polyptychs.

Eduardo Arroyo described his approach as inherently "literary," emphasizing thematic development with narrative structure, akin to writing novels.

The artists within this movement were influenced by left-wing ideologies associated with May 1968, particularly the theories of Herbert Marcuse. They believed that the subversive potential of their work resided in its aesthetic qualities rather than explicit political statements. Marcuse's idea that overt political messaging diminishes an artwork's power was influential. Artists such as Eduardo Arroyo, Gérard Fromanger, Erró, Gérard Guyomard, Ivan Messac, Sergio Birga, Henri Cueco, and Michèle Katz actively pursued this approach. They participated in the production of protest posters and slogans during the May 1968 events.

Figuration Narrative artists distinguished themselves from American Pop Art by criticizing its perceived hegemony, formal detachment, indifference to contemporary political struggles, and insufficient critique of consumerism (art for art's sake). Despite these criticisms, they utilized some similar formal expressions.