Abstract Transgression
Barbara Hatchett
Although gestural abstraction continues to be earmarked as one of the few taboo modes of expression in the contemporary art scene–barring a few exceptions, such as Cecily Brown–the work of Xavier Busquets triumphantly repudiates the ascendant dogma. Shown recently at the Berliner Kunstprojekt, Busquets’ abstract paintings, influenced by first-generation Abstract Expressionists (particularly Hans Hoffmann) as well as the cryptic hieroglyphics of Cy Twombly, are expert anthologies of gesture and atmosphere.
In the manner of his Ab-Ex forebears, Busquets constantly finds new ways to marry an accomplished sprezzatura to a sincere desire for emotional and metaphysical expression. Although many of his canvases have a rough-hewn, unfinished feeling, as well as a tendency to reference the process of their own gestation, Busquets manages to imbue his work with a pervasive sense of unity and harmony, albeit one fraught with doubt and contradiction. Ethereal color fields, passages of violent palette knife scrapings reminiscent of a keyed car, floating fragments of guardedly allusive text, collage, slapdash whorls of paint directly from the tube–all of these elements exist in a frenzied competition while simultaneously joining with one another in order to complete the "big picture." Only a seasoned manipulator of the tools of the gestural trade could pull off the fusion of rigid structure and centrifugal chaos.
In his philosophy and practice, Busquet breaks with the Action Painting wing of the Abstract Expressionists, in that he is not ultimately interested in creating a pure, "mimetic" representation of a psychological or spiritual state. While he is certainly interested in creating visual outlets for personal experience, his process begins with looking outside himself–specifically at landscapes and objects. Thus, Busquet’s work is largely concerned with working out the myriad connections between the observable world and the influence of subjective vision. In a time when abstract painting in general is a big underdog, and gestural abstraction is nearly unthinkable, Xavier Busquet sticks to his guns, unwilling to abandon a rich and fluent style for the sake of seemliness.
