Luis Tomasello

Visible structure and reflected color

The works by Luis Tomasello on show at the Ascaso Gallery are evidence of over sixty years of uninterrupted creative activity and provide a clear illustration of its salient features through a selection of works produced between 1975 and 2011. First there is his widespread use of white, as in Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 869 (2007), with its relief pieces, or Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 492 (1981), with its absolutely flat surface to which hollow lines lend structure. Other paintings feature colors, however: Objet plastique N° 854 (2006), in which yellow is predominant, and Objet plastique N° 934 (2009), with elements painted in blue on a black background. The use of a large number of relief pieces can be seen in Objet plastique N° 858 (2007), in which 900 cubes standing on their tips are regularly distributed to form an orthogonal grid. In contrast Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 946 (2010), contains a remarkably small number of elements: just nine volumes placed on nine planes. Sometimes all the relief elements are in the same position – in Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 941 (2010), for instance – but sometimes they face alternately one way or the other, as in Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 978 (2011). Luis Tomasello has a predilection for six-faced reliefs created from cubes, but he also resorts to rhombohedrons pointing in different directions. In Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 864 (2007), a case in point, this irregularity enables the artist to obtain a baroque effect. We also find chevrons, in Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 985 (2011), and even a regular and relatively deep grid in Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 852 (2006). On the other hand, the assorted geometrical shapes of Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 974 (2011) are arranged to form a composition in the classical manner. Luis Tomasello also combines relief shapes with flat surfaces enlivened by hollow lines to reveal depth. This can be seen in Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 481 (1980). While this particular work is white, those that are painted plain black play on the modulation and precision of their lineless design, Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 607 (1987) being an example. And finally we find works of contrasting formats. Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 642 (1988), for instance, is a square with sides 14.9” long which allows the multiple forms to unfold, whereas the small format of the relief Atmosphère chromoplastique N° 840 (2003) concentrates all the energy of a few lines within a surface measuring 6.2” x 8.8”.

Thus the works on show at the Ascaso Gallery offer a complete overview of Luis Tomasello’s output. Nor are his architectural works omitted, for the exhibition includes a scale model for a marble pool and fountain which exemplifies his ideal of realizing a synthesis of arts. The same goal finds expression in his latest architecturally integrated work, a relief mural for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City (2011). At the other end of the scale – the infinitely small – are the jewels he designed in collaboration with Chus Burés on the same principle as his Atmosphères chromoplastiques: relief and reflection. Thanks to his visible structures and his reflected colors, Luis Tomasello has become a master of relief and a magician of light.