A FAREWELL TO ARTIST ABRAHAM PALATNIK, EXPLORER OF TECHNOLOGICAL POSSIBILITIES OF ART
Abraham Palatnik, pioneer of the so-called technological art in Brazil, died victim of Covid-19 on Saturday May 9th.
Essential artist, he remained active and produced relevant works - for Brazil and the world - until the end of his life. Palatnik stands out for its unique trajectory, having expanded the paths of the visual arts in its artistic production when dealing with issues involving art, science and technology. An inventive artist, with his creativity he developed machinery that, in addition to the aesthetic issue, points to the diversity of artistic experimentation he built over his more than 60 years of career.
The artist has a peculiar background: between 1942 and 1945 he studied at the Technical School Montefiori, in Tel Aviv, and specialized in explosion engines - going on to study art in the studio of the painter Haaron Avni and the sculptor Sternshus, and studying aesthetics with Shor. This initial specialization was essential for Palatnik to take the lead in artistic productions linked to technology.
-
Abraham Palatink
Kinetic Object, 1990/1999
110 x 80 cm
Itaú Cultural Collection
Image: Sérgio Guerini / Itaú Cultural
-
UNTITLED, 1996
oil on canvas
23.2 x 31 cm
artist's collection
-
UNTITLED, 1954
friable ink on glass
25.1 x 45.1 cm
artist's collection
-
UNTITLED, 1974
polyester
24 x 23.5 x 4.5 cm
artist's collection
-
UNTITLED, 1960
crispy paint on glass
77 x 110 cm
artist's collection
-
UNTITLED, 1960
crispy paint on glass
72 x 110 cm
artist's collection
-
PROGRESSIVE RELIEF, 1968
cut-out card
15.4 x 15.2 cm
artist's collection -
PROGRESSIVE RELIEF, 1982
cut-out card
45 x 43.5 cm
artist's collection
-
PROGRESSIVE RELIEF, 2007
cut-out card
66 x 61 cm
artist's collection
-
KINETIC OBJECT K-66, 1966
wood, formica, stainless steel and motor
72 x 90 x 16 cm
artist's collection
-
UNTITLED, 2001
mass embossment
32,5 x 38 cm
artist's collection
-
WHITE RELIEF, 1977
vacuum form
49 x 49 cm
artist's collection
-
PROGRESSION W-2, 2002
acrylic paint on wood
98,5 x 109 cm
artist's collection
-
PROGRESSION W-77, 2006
acrylic paint on wood
103 x 86.5 cm
artist's collection
-
MOBILITY IV, 1959/99
wood, formica and electromagnet
13.8 x 35.3 x 30.2 cm
MAM / SP collection - acquisition: Fund for the Acquisition of Works for the MAM / SP Collection - Pirelli
-
KINETIC OBJECT, 1986
industrial paint, wood, formica, metal and engine
90 x 96 x 23 cm
MAM / SP collection - acquisition: Fund for the Acquisition of Works for the MAM / SP Collection - Pirelli
-
PROGRESSION K-40, 1986
string and acrylic on canvas
100 x 100 cm
MAM / SP collection - Crefisul SA Award - Panorama 1986
-
KINECROMATIC APPARATUS, 1969/1986
wood, metal, synthetic fabric, lamps and engine
111 x 68.5 x 20 cm
MAM SP collection - acquisition: Fund for the Acquisition of Works for the MAM / SP Collection - Pirelli
-
KINETIC OBJECT P-28, 1971/2000
wood, formica, acrylic, metal and motor - single piece
100 x 54 x 23 cm
Inhotim collection, Minas Gerais
-
UNTITLED, 1974
23.5 x 23.2 cm
artist's collection
Palatnik argued that industries should hire artists, arguing that they have "a perceptual potential that can solve countless problems". He also said that the issue was not related to a type of artist or specific perception, but to the fact that artists can solve problems that require a look beyond traditional rules.
READ MORE: Abraham Palatnik, by Patricia Avena Navarro
His career was marked by essential meetings, but the one with the artists Almir Mavignier, Ivan Serpa and Mário Pedrosa deserves to be highlighted. At this moment, he started to visit the ateliers of the Psychiatric Hospital of Engenho de Dentro and got in touch with the work of Nise da Silveira. "The impact of visits to Engenho de Dentro and conversations with Mário Pedrosa demolished my convictions regarding art," said Palatnik. From the exchanges with Pedrosa, the artist breaks away from a classic artistic production, which prioritizes the brush and the realistic handling of paints, and starts experimenting with light. *
*Itaú Cultural
