Karel Appel
Dutch, 1921 - 2006Les Amants (The Lovers), 1959
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions22 × 29 3/4 in. (55.9 × 75.6 cm)
Bequest of Mary Mallery Davis, 1990.12
A well-known leader of the international artist group, Cobra, Karel Appel was born in the Netherlands in 1921. Cobra was founded in 1948 and named after the first letters of the founder's home cities (Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam). Other artists in the group were Asger Jorn and Pierre Alechinsky. Their artistic philosophy stemmed from Surrealism, which believed in pure expression derived from the unconscious mind. Yet, Cobra believed in a fuller encounter with reality, a reality that reverted to a childlike mind free of the inhibitions of culture. Since their expression was based on their own individual imagination, each style was unique. For example, Appel was strongly influenced by Vincent Van Gogh, and Expressionist painters of the mid-twentieth century due to their use of rich primary colors, and expressive brushstrokes.
