"I create these marks spontaneously, intuitively, and in doing so I simply feel pleasure." (Catoir 1997, p. 90)
This is how Tàpies describes his free associative artistic approach. White letters, numbers and signs, separated by a curved line in the centre of the painting, stand out as 'white writing' against a brown background. Distinctive graphite lines run from the four corners of the work towards its centre, alluding to the cross often used by Tàpies. In the upper part of the work a hill-like formation is outlined, which sets additional markings. In the lower area, the composition is complemented by an abstract structure that evokes various associations, such as a skull. This motif, associated with death and pain, appears several times in Tapies's work. Above all, however, it is the cross that the artist includes in various forms: whether in a t-shape, as a plus sign with equal-length sides, slightly tilted or as an x. Following the Catalan thinker Ramon Llull, to whom Tàpies refers in many of his works, only the cross could live up to the claim of capturing what is most elemental and meaningful. In addition, Tàpies relates in his works to his artist friend and poet Joan Brossa, who juggles with letters, punctuation marks and words in his texts in order to capture their essence. Oscillating between abstract painting and ciphers, Tàpies enriches his art with new levels of meaning that always allow for different readings.
