Gerd Leufert

Enmarcando a Gerd Leufert was on exhibit between June and September at Sala TAC, in Caracas. The show featured a selection of works created by the artist in the 1960s and 70s, and some from the 1980s-90s. A small referential sample of the creativity of a figure commonly understood as one of the country's most important designers of the Twentieth Century. Leufert was an integral creator within the characteristic canon or profile of Twentieth Century modernity; the peak of his activity as an artist took place between the 1950s and 1980s, where he was situated as one of the continent's most widely recognized art professionals and the most prestigious in Venezuela. His graphic work became an example of creativity for several decades. Leufert was also a faculty member in the Architecture School at Universidad Central de Venezuela, and an influential photographer. One standout in the selection are Leufert's Listonados, so known because of their formality the their material. These are works made in reference to the elements that frame two-dimensional artworks, generally in wood, only in this case they are frames for the display of empty space, open to the space surrounding them, inviting us to contemplate the other shapes that give aesthetic meaning and value to the exhibition. These are stand-alone works, resolved by the artist with great formal rigor, clean finish, and emphatic aesthetic value, created by someone who revels in detail, a balanced use of color, and the need to bring forth the reality of the two sides presented by each item. Notable in Leufert's graphic works is the value of a precise design, influenced by his constructivist vision in the creation of a space that is not expressed but is contained in each plane, in each direction organizing the image, in each color contrast. Nevertheless, the impeccable presentation of the constructive element that dominates Leufert's printed works loses some of its centrality in his paintings and drawings. In those spaces, the artist's sensibility opens itself up to the presence of a tendency that flowed "skillfully" in the late 1960s and early 70s, what is known as sensible geometry. Thus we encounter, with great interest, works where orthogonality is not the fundamental value, color admits nuance, an element of gesturality is present, and the imprecision of repeated tracings peeks through in the drawing. The exhibition includes paintings and drawings, prints, silkscreens, and fifteen works in wood with a variety of finishes, with a predominance of lacquer, acrylic paint, and synthetic varnishes. Also included are different kinds of printed materials and a photograph of Leufert by artist Joseph Fabry. Published to accompany the exhibition, Listonados is a book designed in 1976 with the participation of Nedo, Álvaro Sotillo, Paolo Gasparini, Hanni Ossott, and María Fernanda Palacios, produced by Ex Libris.