Altamira XXIV

1960, pen and ink drawing, 18 x 26 cm
Coll. Gaston Bertrand Foundation

During a trip to Spain, Bertrand visited the cave of Altamira. He stopped in the great hall of polychromes and drew thirteen sketches, lying on the ground with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Bertrand was mostly interested in the expressivity of these animal figures following the relief of the cave, modelled with red and yellow ochre tones, with scratches and cuts accenting some details and with almost all the contours defined with black shadows. Just as a Chinese calligrapher, Bertrand reduced these figures to simple black lines on a plain white background, which produces a very personal expressionist schematization.