Physichromie No. 327, 1967

About the Work

How does one induce a static pictorial work to move? Vertical aluminum slats reflect the paint which has been applied to the pictorial ground. In the interplay between light and space, vibrating coloured squares make their appearance. Physichromie No. 327 (physis = body / chromie = colour) challenges the viewer to move back and forth in front of the pictorial surface in order to experience the dynamism of what is actually a static picture. Cruz-Diez considered paint to be a ‘situation’ rather than a pure substance. He moved in the circles around the group of Parisian artists Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel which, during the 1960s, sought new visual relationships between the art object and the eyes of the person contemplating it.