Compostion XIV 1962

Here, Matta creates “Composition XIV”, an abstract print, characteristic of his surrealist period. Born in Chile, Matta’s work from this time reflects an engagement with European surrealism and a personal response to the socio-political turmoil of the 1930s and ‘40s. Matta, like many other surrealists, was deeply influenced by psychoanalytic theory, especially ideas about the subconscious. You can almost see an interior, psychological landscape, full of tension, being rendered here. Are the ambiguous forms here mechanical, biological, or perhaps both? The soft pinks and reds juxtapose stark geometric lines, creating a sense of both allure and unease. These works are not merely abstract exercises, but rather an attempt to visualize the complex, and often contradictory, forces shaping human experience. Matta once said his paintings came from "the urgency to open new paths", which seems especially pertinent to the way he visualizes the intersections between the personal and political.