Roberto Sebastian Antonio Matta Echaurren

The most famous Chilean artist, sculptor and architect, the leader of Latin American modernist art. Roberto Matta worked in the style of surrealism and was a close friend and associate of Salvador Dali, with whom they were united by the idea of ​​unconscious painting and a free flow of creativity without the intervention of intelligence or any system.

The artist’s art is truly international. Born in Chile and living in almost all the capitals of Europe, as well as in the USA, Matta combined a wide variety of art styles in his work. He was never limited to one style, manner and materials, being an innovative artist, not tired of doing experiments. His unique style had a significant impact on the development of such a popular art movement as Abstract Expressionism.

The most famous among the artist’s paintings are his surrealistic canvases from the Psychological Morphology series, which demonstrate an artificial reality filled with metaphors and symbolic figures. In the 1940s, Matta was distracted from studying subconscious and turning to social topics. In a series of works entitled Social Morphologies, he depicted complex mechanical objects and distorted human forms, symbolizing the injustices and horrors of the war.

Key ideas:

– In his work, Roberto Matta sought to get rid of all the conventions and limitations in painting. He used the surrealistic “automatic painting” method, trying to completely “turn off” his mind and focus only on unconscious vague images that spontaneously arise in the brain. The artist himself called his works made in this technique “internal landscapes.”

– During the Second World War, the artist began to combine his interest in the human psyche with active interaction with the world. He believed that art should not only perform an aesthetic function, but also be a powerful lever for social change. His commitment to social issues and participation in political events angered Andre Breton and other surrealists, and finally made Matta leave this movement.

– In the artist’s works, colour plays a very important role. Bright and saturated shades, or a calm monochrome palette act as the main characters of Matta’s paintings. They create tension in the picture, regulate its emotional intensity and arouse human imagination.

– Matta created a large number of large-scale works. The width of some of his canvases is around ten metres, and they completely immerse the viewer in the fairy-tale world of the artist’s imagination. For the purpose of even greater entertainment at several of his exhibitions, he placed his paintings not only on the walls, but also on the ceiling of the exposition hall.

– Many researchers note that no matter how serious the theme of Matt’s paintings is, there will always be a place for the peculiar humor of the Chilean who puts funny humanoids, insects or comical human figures into his surrealistic canvases. When the artist was asked in an interview with which of the great people he can compare his work, Roberto Matta replied, “with Charlie Chaplin”.