Informalismo
At the time when Abstract Expressionism was developing in the USA, the parallel development in Europe was named Art Informel or Informalism – Informalismo in Spanish. As Informalismo gradually established itself as an avant-garde movement, it also came to be considered an aesthetic, a cultural and even a sociological development in Spanish society. Domènech embraced this new aesthetic with great enthusiasm.
The physical, gestural work of Antoni Tàpies had a tremendous impact on Domènech’s restless spirit. His use of unconventional materials (marble dust, for example) and grattage marks on a base layer of paint underpinned this self-styled informalist painting – all these elements came together in the developing artist. Domènech became very much involved with the new vocabulary that Tàpies shared with other contemporary artists such as Manolo Valdés and Lucio Muñoz, masters of the informalist school, which formed around the “El Paso” group in Madrid.
Canvas preparation is a vital part of Informalist painting. Canvas is the foundation, the base and the support on which the Informalist artist makes his gestural brushstroke apparent, and this charges it with expression. The preparation, of course, depends on physical laws and on the materials involved. Thanks to his training in traditional crafts, Domènech was familiar with almost all the secrets of pictorial techniques. Domènech also thoroughly understood the principle of using only the best materials, making this his standard. Turpentine, oil-based colours and top-quality canvas – only the absolute best quality gives the desired results.