Andre Masson, Pionner Surrealist

André-Aimé-René Masson (1896 –1987), born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, France, had a legendary talent for getting in trouble with the authorities, be they military, civil or artistic and never fit any boxes or belonged to any Movements or cenacles for long. He was one of the first artists to be inspired by the Art of children and the mentally ill as a door to the subconscious and perhaps to the Universal. His experiments with automatic painting and randomized processes made him a lasting influence.

“During the mid-1920s Masson explored automatic drawing with paint, a material that traditionally requires a deliberate approach and frequently reloading paint on a brush. To allow a more spontaneous paint flow, Masson began squeezing paint directly from the tube (an innovation that would later inspire a younger generation of artists, including American Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock). Masson’s Battle of Fishes is a prime example of what became known as his “sand paintings” by pouring gesso onto a canvas, smearing it around, improvising with his fingers, and throwing sand onto the sticky surfaces to create a textured, earthy ground. He then poured on the red paint and added his charcoal and pencil, combining painting and drawing. Pouring glue and paint, and throwing sand, ensured that gravity and chance also played significant roles in the creation of the work of art.” STEPHANIE CHADWICK at Smart History.org

Masson never stopped searching, changing and advancing, often into dead ends where he would stay for years, out of joy. He wrote a book called The Pleasure of Painting (Le plaisir de peindre, 1950). There are still many discoveries to be made in Andre Masson‘s hundreds of paintings.