Jean Paul Riopelle’s works in the early 1960s showed a movement away from the dense mosaic surfaces he produced in the 1950s. His compositions opened up and became airier, while darker palettes gave way to brighter pigments and a greater prominence of white. The earlier huddled tessellations and streaking splatters of colour were now replaced by longer, broader scrapes of applied paint, overlaid with increasingly calligraphic incisions. These effects reflected Riopelle’s increasing interest in texture and physicality, something he would continue to explore through printmaking and sculpture in this decade.

Viralda was produced in 1961, a year in which Riopelle worked extensively on sculpture in his studio in Meudon, and the canvas is a pre-eminent example of the artist’s new direction. Though this is a condensed canvas size, the scale of the picture seems expanded, with broad lozenges of colour applied in thick strokes of the palette knife. Cool blues and vivid greens are mixed with an icy background of white, while bold planes of deeper reds and blacks create a flurry of overlaid activity. Quickly rendered with thick impasto, Viralda explodes outwards in a complete synthesis of energy and material; the painting is a masterful example of Riopelle during one of his most visceral periods.

This work is accompanied by a photograph certificate of authenticity (#595-CA-HFA) from Yseult Riopelle and is included in the online catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work at http://www.riopelle.ca.