Bloem (Flower) - Lucebert

A spontaneous ink drawing by Dutch CoBrA artist Lucebert, featuring a surreal, organic form rendered with fluid lines and expressive ink washes.

Lucebert, born Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk, was a central figure in the Dutch post-war avant-garde. Associated with the CoBrA movement, his work often rejects traditional aesthetic constraints in favour of raw, spontaneous expression. This ink drawing, dated 13 January 1963, demonstrates his characteristic approach to form: a blend of figurative suggestion and abstract mark-making.

The subject, titled 'Bloem' or 'Flower', does not adhere to botanical accuracy. Instead, the artist employs fluid ink washes and sharp, calligraphic lines to construct a spectral, organic presence. The central mass appears to hover, anchored by a ladder-like structure at the base, which introduces a surreal, almost architectural element to the composition. The ink bleeds and drips, suggesting a sense of urgency and immediate physical engagement with the medium. The upper portion of the drawing features radiating lines and scattered ink droplets, creating a sense of energy or dispersal that contrasts with the denser, darker forms below.

Lucebert's practice was deeply informed by his dual identity as a poet and a painter. His visual language shares the same improvisational quality found in his verse, where words and images are treated as malleable materials. This drawing captures the tension between the recognisable world and the subconscious, a recurring theme in his output during the 1960s. The stark contrast between the black ink and the cream paper surface emphasises the graphic quality of the work, allowing the viewer to focus on the rhythm of the lines and the weight of the ink applications. It is a direct, unmediated expression of form, typical of the artist's desire to strip away artifice and return to a more primal mode of creation.