Jos Manuel CIRIA

Cuaderno de notas - 1990 Notebook - 1990

A finales de los aos ochenta mi pintura era an figurativa, haba realizado numerosos experimentos intentando saltar a la abstraccin, pero los resultados eran francamente decepcionantes, y no quiero decir nicamente que no "comprenda" lo abstracto, cuando lo cierto es que algunos de aquellos ejercicios tenan inters y eran atractivos en cuanto a composicin, color y textura. Experimentos, que en algunos casos me arrepiento de haber destrudo. El principal problema, visto desde la distancia, es que mi formacin era clsica y autodidacta, y no saba por donde entrar en la abstraccin. No consegua "creerme" aquellas composiciones, no poda entender la pintura como mera experimentacin formal sin sentido y sin rumbo. Quera hacer pintura abstracta pero continuaba anclado en la figuracin, la pesadilla dur aproximadamente dos aos. El salto, al fin, se produjo con bastante naturalidad por medio de una doble va. Por un lado, estaba trabajando en una serie denominada Hombres, Manos, Formas Orgnicas y Signos, dicha serie como su nombre indica estaba formada por cuatro familias o grupos de obra, los dos ltimos tenan una vocacin claramente abstracta que nicamente haba de desarrollarse. Y por otro lado, la sincera necesidad de generar una plataforma terica imbricada de toda una serie de preocupaciones conceptuales. Es decir, mi deseado salto a la abstraccin, vino propiciado, aparte de por las experimentaciones plsticas en este sentido, por la dotacin de una especie de "percha" terica o sistema, que me permita desarrollar todo un genuino campo de investigacin. Muchas de aquellas preocupaciones tericas se recopilaron en un pequeo cuaderno, que siempre me ha acompaado. Anotaciones, ideas, bosquejos, pensamientos de Benjamn, de Kandinsky, de Tolosa, referencias a Malevich y Beuys, aproximaciones irresueltas a lo semitico, garabatos sobre mis diatribas e intereses. Lo sorprendente, si alguien consigue descifrar mi letra, es que todo lo que ha ido ocurriendo en mi obra durante toda la dcada de los noventa, ya estaba perfectamente esbozado entre sus renglones. El espectador podr observar que existe un enorme paralelismo entre las anotaciones y bosquejos, infinidad de conceptos incluidos en mis textos y, muchas de las obras que conforman mi produccin.

By the end of the 80s my painting was still figurative, I had carried out many experiments trying to move into Abstraction but the results were really disappointing, and I do not mean only that I did not "understand" abstract things. Anyway, the truth is that some of those exercises were interesting and attractive as regards composition, color, or texture. Experiments that, in some cases, I regret destroying them. The main problem, once time has passed by, is that I had a classical and autodidactic training. Thus, I did not know how to come into Abstraction. I did not manage to "feel" those compositions, I could not understand painting as a mere pointless and aimless formal experimentation. I wanted to paint abstract things but I kept anchored to Figurativeness, and the nightmare lasted approximately two years. I finally moved into Abstraction, and quite naturally, by means of a double way. On the one hand, I was working on a series called Hombres, manos, formas orgnicas y signos (Men, hands, organic forms and signs) which, as it name suggests, consisted of four suites or groups of paintings, the last two had c1early an abstract calling which only needed to be developed. And on the other hand, the real necessity of creating a theoretical background interwoven with quite a series of conceptual concerns. That is, my desired movement towards Abstraction was brought about, apart from plastic experimentations in this sense, by some kind of theoretical "hanger" or system that allowed me to define quite a genuine field of investigation. Many of those theoretical concerns where collected together in a little notebook that has always accompanied me. Notes, ideas, sketches; Benjamin's, Kandinsky's, Tolosa's thoughts; references to Malevich and Beuys; unsolved approximations to semiotic matters, scribbles about my interests and diatribes. What is surprising is that, if anyone manage to read my handwriting, everything that has happened to my work during the 90s was already and perfectly outlined in this notebook. The observer could realize that there is parallel between the notes and sketches, the countless concepts mentioned in my writings, and the lot of works that compose my oeuvre.

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