Rafael RUIZ BALERDI (1934–1992) - Lot 36

Rafael RUIZ BALERDI (1934–1992) Composición-87 VII, 1987 Unsigned oil on canvas. 52 x 65 cm (minor lifting) Provenance: - Ekain Arte Lanak Gallery, January 2015. - Private collection, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, acquired from the gallery. Bibliography: - Javier VIAR, Balerdi: la experiencia infinita I and II, San Sebastián, Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa, 1993, no. 281, reproduced on p. 777. Considered the leading representative of action painting in Spain, Rafael Ruiz Balerdi is both a highly talented draftsman and an exceptional colorist. His work explored various aesthetic paths before culminating in gestural informalisme. Close friends with Eduardo Chillida since the 1950s, Rafael Ruiz Balerdi developed his early painting style through highly structured compositions reminiscent of Cubism. During a year in Paris in 1960 alongside his friends Sistiaga and Zumeta, he mingled with the avant-garde and discovered abstract expressionism in its various forms. His style became more liberated, and color took on an increasingly prominent role. Following the Gaur exhibition in San Sebastián, he also participated in exhibitions at Emen in Biscay and Orain in Álava. While pursuing an intense focus on drawing—which he even transposed into a 1970 film titled *Hommage à Tarzan*— Rafael Ruiz Balerdi created imaginary landscapes, influenced by Monet, some of which are monumental in scale (his masterpiece *Gran Jardin* measures 2.5 x 5.7 m). His travels to India (1973) and China (1978) had a considerable influence on him. He took a keen interest in the Hindu philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and remained close to the Maoist movement. He temporarily abandoned oil painting and worked in pastel, chalk, and wax, entering a period of creative frenzy between 1980 and 1985. In October 1989, he completed the set design for the opera house in Donostia-San Sebastián with four large canvases that symbolized his chromatic ambition. He died tragically in a house fire in 1992.