European Abstract Formalist Comics
Lars Arrhenius’ A-Z (2002);
Alexis Beauclair’s Globe (2008), Loto (2014 -), Photon (2014), Labyrinthe (2014), Compositions Binaires (2015), Perspective Fuyante (2015), Sol (2016), and About Series #5 (2016);
Jean-Philippe Bretin’s Non-Stop Road (2014), Deep Valley (2015), and Report (2016);
Alex Chauvel’s Toutes les mers par temps calme (2016);
Margaux Duseigneur’s oeuvre (2012-);
Vincent Fortemp’s Barques (2008);
Jochen Gerner’s Grande Vitasse (2009) and Abstraction (2011);
Louis Granet’s Fort Worth (2014);
Matti Hagelberg’s Rakennusohje (2012);
Romeo Julien’s Astral (2016) and Chantier en course 1/7 (2015);
Stefanie Leinhos’ oeuvre (2011-);
Nicolas Nade’s Nobu (2016) and Ingredients (2016);
Ilan Manouach’s Noirs (2014);
Antoine Orand’s Sphinx 2 (2014), Stargate (2014), Claires Fontines (2016), How We Met (2016) and Relatives (2016);
Ann Pajuvali’s Kammib (2014)
Niklaus Ruegg’s SPUK (2004);
Frederique Rusch’s Untitled (Comic Book) (2013);
Greg Shaw’s Parcours Pictural (2005);
Sammy Stein’s oeuvre (2015-).
These impressive comics share similar subject, theme, content, style, period, and geographic origin. As such, they can be grouped as a genre. I call this new budding genre European Abstract Formalist Comics.
Abstract Formalist Comics indisputably and directly studies the most abstract and fundamental formal elements of comics such as space (Arrhenius, Beauclair, Bretin, Gerner, Julien, Orand); space-time (Arrhenius, Gerner, Orand); time (Arrhenius, Gerner, Nade, Stein); repetition / variation (Duseigneur, Leinhos, Pajuvali, Stein); color (Shaw, Manouach); representation (Arrhenius, Chauvel, Julien, Manouach, Pajuvali, Shaw, Stein); perspective (Beauclair, Bretin, Granet, Rusch), language (Granet, Chauvel); image (Manouach), drawing (Beauclair, Gerner, Granet, Julien, Manouach, Stein); texture (Nade, Manouach); spatial dimensions (Julien, Nade, Rusch); material / mass / weight (Stein, Nade); media / printing (Beauclair, Shaw); laws of nature / motion (Beauclair, Duseigneur, Gerner, Orand, Stein); dialectics (Beauclair); process (Beauclair, Hagelberg, Stein); construction / destruction (Stein, Chauvel, Hagelberg, Nade) and more.
Jochen Gerner, Grande Vitasse
While many other comics also explore these fundamental qualities, Abstract Formalist Comics are different in that they predominantly are concerned about these abstract formal elements. This is possible by: a) depicting “process” or juxtaposing images instead of narrative; and b) having no language. The wordless and non-narrative comics induce the reader to concentrate on the formal qualities of comics, rather than its narrative and “literature” value which the reader usually is interested in the most.
Most Abstract Formalist Comics deploy the geometric clean line drawing and flat color. This emotionless and mechanical style calls attention to abstract subjects that Abstract Formalist Comics scrutinize.
Abstract Formalist Comics are different from abstract comics. First, Abstract Formalist Comics have figurative (representative) as well as abstract objects in them. Some even have human characters. But the emphasis is not on the human character’s psychology, as in other narrative arts, but rather on physicality, displayed through movement or a singular area of the body. The human being is just another object within the Abstract Formalist Comics.
Next, contrary to some abstract comics that have the narrative or contents such as Shaw’s Veuve-poignet (2006) or Lewis Trondheim’s La nouvelle pornographie (2006), Abstract Formalist Comics lack the narrative. Instead of the traditional narrative, Abstract Formalist Comics describe or juxtapose the process of movement (action), repetition, transformation, et cetera.
Matti Hagelberg, Rakennusohje
Why “European” Abstract Formalist Comics? The above-listed works are mostly by French artists and all are by Europeans. There are only few Abstract Formalist Comics in other regions. ITDN (2016) by Andy Burkholder and artist books by Sol LeWitt (USA), Re/Forma (2014) by Luis Aranguri (Brazil), 9gbb (2016) by Ryukyung Hotel (South Korea) and works by Yuichi Yokoyama and Tiger Tateishi (Japan) are exceptions, rather than the norm, in their countries and continents.
Furthermore, while European Abstract Formalist Comics’ artists work and participate together in anthologies like Alexis Beauclair and Sammy Stein edited Lagon or structure / form focused Super-Structure, non-European Abstract Formalist artists work independently and there’s no anthology or publisher specific for similar works.
European Abstract Formalist Comics is blossoming now. All works were made in this century and most works, especially by young and non-established artists, were made in this decade.
Finally, I want to discuss the epitome of Abstract Formalist Comics — Jennifer Bartlett’s Rhapsody (1975). Not only its style, but its subjects and contents, are the same as Abstract Formalist Comics. It studies repetition / variation; sequentiality; panel; color; shape; line; dot; pixel; figuration / abstraction; representation; realism; drawing; painting; resolution; style; form; element / entity; rhythm; juxtaposition; collage; appropriation; doodles; flatness; nature / artificial; motion; narrative; grid; image, photography, low / high art, time, space; panel; art history; and more. [1]
Most importantly, Rhapsody tells us how to perceive Abstract Formalist Comics: rhapsody, like a music. We can read it by analyzing the work, like me, but also, viscerally appreciating its imagery beauty.
[1] Bartlett, Jennifer, and Roberta Smith. Rhapsody. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1985.
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