Letter J Rafael Alberti

Rafael Alberti was one of the leading exponents of the Generation of 1927, and one of Spain’s greatest 20th-century lyrical poets. After starting out as a painter in 1925, he won the Premio Nacional de Literatura for his collected poems, Marinero en tierra (Sailor on Land). Alberti started painting in 1917, and began writing poetry three years later. He was a close friend of artists such as Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, and poet Federico Garcia Lorca, and in the late 1920s published his dark, lyrical masterpiece Sobre los angeles (Concerning the Angels). 

Politics became increasingly important in Alberti’s life, forcing him into exile after Francisco Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War. In 1963, he moved to Rome, together with his lifelong companion, Maria Teresa Léon, and it was in Italy that — influenced by the avant-garde movements of the 20th century — he became active as a painter and graphic artist while continuing to write poetry. After settling in a house with a studio in Anticoli Corrado, Alberti devoted himself to both forms of art, moving between poems devoted to nature and culture, and existential reflections suspended between the world of dreams and reality.

Explore a vast range of abstract prints on 1stDibs to find a piece to enhance your existing collection or transform a space.

Unlike figurative paintings and other figurative art, which focuses on realism and representational perspectives, abstract art concentrates on visual interpretation. An artist may use a single color or simple geometric forms to create a world of depth. Printmaking has a rich history of abstraction. Through materials like stone, metal, wood and wax, an image can be transferred from one surface to another.

During the 19th century, iconic artists, including Edvard Munch, Paul Cézanne, Georgiana Houghton and others, began exploring works based on shapes and colors. This was a departure from the academic conventions of European painting and would influence the rise of 20th-century abstraction and its pioneers, like Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.

Some leaders of European abstraction, including Franz Kline, were influenced by the gestural shapes of East Asian calligraphy. Calligraphy interprets poetry, songs, symbols or other means of storytelling into art, from works on paper in Japan to elements of Islamic architecture.

Bold, daring and expressive, abstract art is constantly evolving and dazzling viewers. And entire genres have blossomed from it, such as Color Field painting and Minimalism.

The collection of abstract art prints on 1stDibs includes etchings, lithographs, screen-prints and other works, and you can find prints by artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and more.