ZZHK Gallery is pleased to present Flowers, Coffee and Destiny, an exhibition of modern masters that feature over twenty lithographs by legendary surrealist Salvador Dali and French expressionist Bernard Buffet. The exhibition allows a unique view of the two masters works, revealing each in their own way the perception of art form.

 

Salvador Dali embraced the psychoanalytic concepts of Freud, and generated symbolic imagery from his subconscious mind. Dali saw the need to analyze the images of the subconscious and allow the images of the subconscious to come to the surface and become conscious. Bernard Buffet painted only what he sees, the realities of the world. His work was a direct expression of his inner world, imbued with emotion and sentiment. Buffet once said “Painting, we do not talk about it, we do not analyze it, we feel it.” However, both artists worked relentlessly to find the truth hidden in their subject’s presentation.

 

The exhibition offers an exciting opportunity to see the stunning complete set of Salvador Dali's The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac, a portfolio comprising of 12 colour lithographs created in 1967 as an edition of 250. The explosive use of colour and freedom of movement make the lithographs feel almost like watercolours. Dali visually challenged balance and proportion in human and animal forms creating fantastic, imaginary symbolic images. The twelve astrological signs, where Dali substituted the Cancer crab with a lobster, is brilliantly illustrated in his characteristic surrealistic style.

 

Although many Bernard Buffet's works were in sombre colours, spiky forms with dark outlines, and lend a feeling of despair and loneliness, the works displayed in this exhibition, as a collection of lithographs of flowers and still lifes created during 70's and 80's, are more stylized and decorative and conveying positive and motivating messages. Even when the subject matter is flowers, Buffet succeeded in applying an edgy linear quality to them.

 

Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 – 1989), is a master of surrealism and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Yet often overlooked, graphics are a major part of his work. Dali was a consummate printmaker. He experimented with a variety of dramatic processes to apply ink to stone, one of which is called “bulletism” where an antique gun was loaded with ink capsules and then fired at blank sheets of paper. The resulting patterns were then developed into images. Another method Dali employed was taking rhinoceros horns filled with French bread, soaking the bread in ink and crushing it on to the stone creating windmill strokes.

 

Bernard Buffet, French (1928 – 1999), attained recognition as an artist when he was very young. He was awarded the first prize by the magazine Connaissance des Arts in 1955, which named the 10 best post-war artists. In 1973 he was named Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. When he became old he suffered from Parkinson's disease and was no longer able to work. Buffet committed suicide in 1999. His distinctive style with sharp angles and thick brush-strokes, expressed the fear and anxiety which France experienced during the occupation in World War II. He gained international recognition particularly in Japan, where there is a museum dedicated to his work.

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Flowers, Coffee and Destiny is presented by ZZHK Gallery, in collaboration with Images Art, London.