Allure de violon

Allure de violon is a drawing that was used as a design for an exhibition poster. Arman created it in 1962 for his exhibition Musical Rage in Gstaad, Switzerland. Music played an important role in Arman’s life and work. This drawing on music paper depicts the contours of a violin. Pieces of a violin were dipped in ink and then pressed onto the paper in a rather brusque manner, judging by the spots and splashes. Arman often used violins in a destructive manner. The word violon in the title is also in part a reference to the word ‘violence’. The violin has here been stripped of its original shape and function. Arman viewed these ‘changes to reality’, as he called them, as ‘painterly changes’. His intention was to depict both a world of violence and decay and a new, more lyrical beauty.