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Camille Graeser Ohne Titel (Kolor-Sinfonik), around 1950
Photograph: Eva-Christina Meier, 2004, Verwaltungsgebäude

What is “Concrete Art?”

[...] The six-point manifesto reads as follows: “We say: 1. Art is universal. 2. The work of art must be conceived and shaped in its entirety in the mind before it is executed. It must not receive any of nature’s formal properties, nor those of sensuality, nor those of sentimentality. We want to exclude all lyricism, drama, symbolism etc. 3. The painting must be composed exclusively of purely pictorial elements, that is to say of shapes and colors. A pictorial element has no meaning beyond itself, so that the painting as a whole has no meaning beyond itself. 4. The construction of the painting and its elements must be simple and visually controllable. 5. The technique must be mechanical, that is to say exact, anti-impressionistic. 6. It should strive for absolute clarity.”

Each of these points is quoted and explained in detail in the commentary. And this is what van Doesburg had to say about method: “The work of art exists in its entirety in the mind before being realized materially. To match the perfection of the concept, it has to be technically perfect. It must not bear any traces of human weakness: no trembling, no imprecision, no indecision, no incomplete areas etc. etc.

Humanism is cited to justify all manner of stupidities in art. If you cannot draw a straight line by hand, use a ruler. Typescript is clearer, finer, and more legible than handwriting. We do not want an artistic hand. If you cannot draw a circle by hand, use a compass. All the tools invented by the intellect for the purpose of perfection are recommended.” [...]

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