User:Annaleighhx/El Paso (group)

El Paso is a group of artists founded in 1957 in Madrid (Spain), and can be considered one of the most defining groups of the post-war Spanish avant-garde. The founding members of El Paso were the painters: Rafael Canogar, Luis Feito, Juana Francés, Manolo Millares, Manuel Rivera, Antonio Suárez, Antonio Saura and the sculptor Pablo Serrano. There were also some art critics among the group, such as José Ayllón and Manolo Conde. In 1958 the artists Martín Chirino and Manuel Viola joined.

History
In March 1957 El Paso's manifesto was published; written by José Ayllón, with the groups symbol created by Antonio Saura (inspired by the work of Pablo Serrano). In April that year they held their first exhibition in Buchholz, a library-gallery in Madrid.

The El Paso group played a fundamental role in the establishment and normalization of an avant-garde movement, after the disorientation caused by the Spanish Civil War. Despite the diverse origins and the subsequent individuality of the group’s members, they presented a front unified by the plasticity of their work and their committed, radical ideology.


 * Manolo Millares was from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.


 * Antonio Saura was from Huesca.


 * Rafeal Canogar was from Toledo.


 * Pablo Serrano was from Crivillén (Teruel).


 * Manuel Rivera was from Granada.


 * Antonio Suárez was from Gijón (Asturias).


 * Juana Francés was from Alicante.


 * Manuel Viola was from Zaragoza.


 * José Ayllón (critic) was from Tarragona.


 * Luis Feito and Manolo Conde were from Madrid.

Just like the Generation of ’98 group in Madrid, there is a mixture of artists from differing origins.

The artists of El Paso began their training in a precarious modernity. In fact, it could be said that the art produced by the group, as well as many other avant-gardists at the time, did not correspond to the very real and historical conditions of the country. Instead, their work bridged the gap between a fragile modernity and a radical avant-garde: knowing and understanding the impact of abstract avant-garde was a key factor for many of the artists who had associated with Informalism or 'Other Art'. Paris and American Abstract Expressionism served as reference points for this new movement that was quickly assimilated and re-branded for a Spanish context, hence giving El Paso their underlying style: their work is defined by an  intense, aggressive expression, a minimal usage of color, and their committed belief in a poetic style of art.

One of the defining aspects of El Paso was their critical attitude towards reality and their struggle with the events of the past. Avant-garde signified a rebellion, a rupture. El Paso reflected these same attitudes: a struggle with the current realities they faced and a denial of the status quo.