Formes volantes, 1960

Born in Argentina, Alicia Penalba develops early on a particular sensibility to natural forms. She used to “pass hours observing the shapes of shells, fossils […] the greenery modeled by the wind […]”. This attentive observation of the natural world constitutes the base of her pictorial language. She did not search to reproduce nature but desired to extract the rhythms and formal dynamics from it.

Formes volantes is composed of fiberglass and polyester gilded with leaf. The ensemble forms a mural composition where the elements seem to float. The forms are abstract, organic and evoke at the same time natural fragments (shells, boulders, petals…) and dynamic entities in movement. Their arrangement creates an effect of suspension and flight. A fundamental aspect of this work resided in the notion of “detached forms”. Contrary to traditional sculpture, compact and anchored, Penalba fragments mass to liberate the elements in the space. As Robert Lebel explained, Penalba is “an unequaled organizer of space”.

The title Formes volantes illuminates directly the artist’s intentions. It is not merely a visual effect, but a true study around the idea of elevation and detachment. The elements seem to escape gravity, flowing in space, as if liberated from all material constraints. Through these works, the artists develop a true poem on flight, founded on movement, lightness and tension towards the heights.

If Penalba has not explicitly formulated this approach, it is nevertheless possible to distinguish a contemporary reading of her works as metaphors of emancipation. The forms that are detached, elevated and freely occupy space could be interpreted as a rupture from constraints, be they material, social or symbolic. The Formes volantes could thus incarnate a dynamic of liberation. This interpretation stays open but it enriches the comprehension of the work by underlining how much the artist’s formal question parallels a profoundly symbolic dimension.