Skip to Main Content

Des Animaux

1957
(Dutch, 1921–2006)
Netherlands
oil on canvas
Unframed: 73 x 100.3 cm (28 3/4 x 39 1/2 in.)
In memory of Mattis Y. Goldman, Gift of his wife Ruth, and children, Carole and Alvin 1967.79
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Download, Print and Share

Description

The COBRA Manifesto declared in 1948, "A painting is not a construction of colors and lines, but an animal, a night, a scream, a human being, or all of these." More than any other member of COBRA, Karel Appel's work embodies this tenet. Appel has often expressed his belief that art should be a conduit between the inner child, the spirit and freedom of the artist, and the outside world. With Des Animaux, he succeeded at re-creating the spontaneity and perpetual sense of discovery that are typical of childhood. Painted the year Appel first visited the United States and met Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning and Sam Francis, Des Animaux suggests two almost primordial animals swimming in thick whorls of oil paint. Appel clearly enjoyed playing and experimenting with the paint, which he layered and shaped both with brushes and his fingers.
Des Animaux

Des Animaux

1957

Karel Appel

(Dutch, 1921–2006)
Netherlands

See Also

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.