2009.10.2
Mancha
Artist
Eugenio Lucas Velázquez
(Madrid, Spain, 1817 - 1870, Madrid, Spain)
Title
Mancha
Creation Date
ca. 1840-1870
Century
mid-19th century
Dimensions
6 1/8 in. x 9 1/4 in. (15.56 cm x 23.5 cm)
Object Type
drawing
Creation Place
Europe, Spain
Medium and Support
ink wash on paper
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
2009.10.2
Lucas engaged in two distinct categories of artistic production. One of these was a self- conscious emulation of the work of Goya, in both paintings and drawings. The second category was visionary in nature, consisting of drawings in brown or black ink that often began as vaguely conceived landscapes, then evolved into subjects resembling cataclysmic deluges, finally achieving near-total abstraction “avant la lettre.” Lucas was said to have engaged in a hasty ink-blot technique in which splashes of ink or watercolor, dropped randomly on paper, would determine the image that ultimately emerged. These “taches,” or, in Spanish, “manchas” (meaning stain or blotch), are similar but perhaps unrelated to Victor Hugo’s contemporary experiments with ink stains and remain an extraordinary achievement.
Additional Media
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