Lithograph by Guillaume Corneille: The red tree and the blue bird.

COBRA Movement: An Artistic Revolution

The COBRA movement (an acronym for Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam) was born in 1948, driven by artists seeking creative freedom and instinctive expression. Opposed to academic conventions and the coldness of geometric abstract art, the members of COBRA aimed to liberate art from intellectual constraints, favoring spontaneity, imagination, and a playful approach. Inspired by Art Brut, children's drawings, and folk traditions, they embraced expressive forms and vibrant colors, conveying an overflowing and often chaotic energy.

Key Artists:

Guillaume Corneille (1922–2010), a Dutch painter and ceramicist, explored themes related to nature and sensuality with stylized forms and vibrant colors. His works often combine motifs of animals, plants, and human figures.

Pierre Alechinsky (born in 1927), a Belgian artist, left his mark on COBRA with compositions combining painting and calligraphy, with a notable influence from Asian art. His prolific work blends spontaneous gestures with a certain poetry of detail.

Karel Appel (1921–2006), also Dutch, is renowned for his paintings and sculptures characterized by vivid colors and raw energy. His instinctive approach gives rise to expressive forms reminiscent of primitive art and childhood.

Bengt Lindström (1925–2008), a Swedish painter, contributed to COBRA with his unique style: massive, almost totemic figures with bold contours and radiant hues, evoking a universal mythology.