Alfabetische tartaar - Lucebert

A raw, expressive ink drawing by Dutch artist Lucebert, featuring a mask-like figure and abstract symbols created in 1960.

Lucebert, the pseudonym of Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk, was a central figure in the Dutch post-war avant-garde. Known as the 'Emperor of the Five-Day Painters', he moved fluidly between poetry and visual art. This work, dated 5 January 1960, displays the raw, spontaneous energy characteristic of his output. The composition features a central, mask-like figure rendered in fluid, gestural ink lines.

Lucebert often employed a lexicon of distorted forms and semi-legible symbols. In this piece, the figure is constructed through a combination of loose, sweeping strokes and dense, hatched areas. The inclusion of blocky, letter-like shapes suggests a preoccupation with language, a common theme in his work where the boundaries between text and image blur. The ink application varies from thin, precise outlines to heavy, saturated pools of black, creating a sense of urgency and directness.

As a member of the CoBrA movement, Lucebert rejected traditional aesthetic constraints in favour of a more primal, childlike mode of expression. This approach sought to bypass intellectual filters, allowing for a more immediate communication of the human condition. The figure here appears both playful and unsettling, a duality that defines much of his oeuvre. The stark contrast between the black ink and the off-white paper surface emphasises the graphic quality of the drawing. It is a clear example of his ability to synthesise complex emotional states into a seemingly simple, yet highly charged, visual language. The work remains an authentic representation of his mid-career style, where his dual identity as a poet and painter converged into a singular, expressive force.