In works such as Relief no. 30, Raúl Lozza fragmented the surface of painting into discrete parts—usually, irregular geometric shapes—that he fixed in a particular configuration with connecting rods. Known as “coplanals,” these constructions are placed directly onto the wall without any framing mechanism. The empty space in between their shapes thus becomes a part of the work. Lozza investigated the possibilities of the coplanal for years, founding with his brothers the Perceptismo group. They developed a mathematical approach to painting that focused on the relationship between the wall and the coplanal’s dimensions and colors.

Gallery label from

Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction—The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift, October 21, 2019–March 14, 2020

Provenance

The artist.
[Private collection, Switzerland]
? - February 6, 1998, Galeria César Aché, São Paulo.
February 6, 1998 - 2016, Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, New York, and Caracas, purchased through Galeria César Aché.
2016, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired as promised gift from Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.

Medium Oil, alkyd, pine resin, wax, and acrylic on wood and metal wire
Dimensions 16 1/2 × 21 1/8 × 1 1/16" (41.9 × 53.7 × 2.7 cm)
Credit Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund
Object number 832.2016
Department Painting & Sculpture

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