Lot 610 D

„Torsion. A purely functional element. The possibilities of different perspectives are determined by the character of its structure. At the same time it is the main component of the artwork. When the viewer moves in front of the work of art, he participates, perhaps unconsciously, in its creation.” (Walter Leblanc, in: Walter Leblanc, Torsionen, exhib.cat. Belgisches Haus, Cologne 1970, n.pag.)
In physics, torsion is a helical twist and as an element of style became a fundamental component in the art of the Belgian Walter Leblanc from 1959. In successive sequences and patterns, the artist transforms one-dimensional canvases into spatial objects based on a fascination for light, optics, and movement. Walter Leblanc shares the joy of playing with geometric forms and the irritation of the viewer's visual perception with other artists of his time, such as Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley, François Morellet and Julio Le Parc.
In the work "Torsions (P.F.1044)" Walter Leblanc vertically stretches white polyvinyl, cut into wafer-thin strips, over the black primed canvas. The strips are stretched in a repetitive strict sequence of either one or two torsions. Depending on the viewer's position and movement, the colour effect of the work changes, and the first impression of austerity gives way to the impression of a supposedly kinetic movement of individual elements.