The defeateds
Marc Aleu took an active part in Barcelona's modern artistic life during the 1950s. He formed part of the ephemeral Grup Taüll in 1955, together with Antoni Tàpies, Modest Cuixart, Josep Guinovart, Jordi Mercader, Jaume Muxart and Joan Josep Tharrats. After a period close to magical primitivism, Aleu formulated a figurative poetry with Picasso roots and a realistic will that can be related to the ideological position of leftists opposed to Francoism. From Picasso could come the volumetric rotundity of the figures and the compression in a limited space that generates a distressing uneasiness. The resolution of the figures in grey, the emphasis on the expressive tension of the arms and hands, the way of joining faces, cheek to cheek, in a desperate attempt at consolation, all generate a pathetic feeling of solidarity. The work focuses on the victims. Aleu aims to give his work a deeply humanist breath, which manifests the tragedy and greatness of the human condition. It is an ambitious art in its philosophical and physical dimension. There is a clear mural vocation in this painting, with monumental effects.
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Permanent loan of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Col·lecció Nacional d'Art, 2019