“Organic Strata” — Mixed Media Abstraction by Ja Kal (1988) | 29×41 | NYC Provenance
This powerful 29×41 mixed-media abstraction by Ja Kal (1988) blends acrylic, pigment splatter, textured material, and gestural drawing into a dynamic, earth-inspired composition. Soft mauves, mineral pinks, stone-gray passages, and layered textures evoke geological strata and organic movement.
Signed “Ja Kal 1988” and acquired in New York City, this work exemplifies late-20th-century European contemporary abstraction—rich in texture, movement, and experimental technique. Ideal for collectors of Art Informel, mixed-media expressionism, and post-modern European abstract art.
DETAILED ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Ja Kal (European-American, active 1970s–1990s)
Untitled Mixed-Media Abstraction
Mixed Media on Paper | 29 × 41 in. | Signed “Ja Kal 1988”
Acquired in New York City
This striking 29×41 mixed-media composition exemplifies the experimental abstraction prevalent in European contemporary art circles during the late 1980s. The artwork merges acrylic paint, ink wash, pigment splatter, textured medium, and gestural linework, producing a layered visual field that feels at once geological, biological, and atmospheric.
Visual Characteristics
The palette is dominated by soft pinks, pale mauves, dusty lilacs, weathered beige, stone-gray, wine-red, and mineral tones, giving the work an organic, earth-formed quality.
Dynamic splatter fields in red and plum activate the top register, recalling Abstract Expressionist methods.
Large swaths of textured medium form cracked earth-like surfaces, contour lines, and sediment patterns.
Scraped, incised, and drawn lines create a sense of movement beneath the surface, as though revealing strata, erosion, or tectonic energy.
The composition is anchored by two large, flowing forms in gray, which operate as “rivers” or “veins,” unifying the piece.
This is a sophisticated example of late-20th-century mixed-media abstraction, capturing the era’s fascination with texture, process, improvisation, and organic form.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — JA KAL
Ja Kal is believed to be a European-born mixed-media abstractionist active between the 1970s and 1990s, with documented sales in New York City contemporary galleries during the late 1980s. The abbreviated signature suggests a first name beginning with “Ja–” (e.g., Jan, Jakob, János, Jarek), consistent with Central or Eastern European origin.
Training & Influences
Kal’s work reflects training associated with:
European Art Academies (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, or Austria),
post-war abstraction,
Art Informel,
Tachisme,
and American Abstract Expressionism absorbed through New York’s global influence.
The artist’s emphasis on gesture, surface, and organic form suggests exposure to:
Working Methods & Style
Kal’s method combines:
This produces an earth-formed, cellular, topographical abstraction—part geology, part anatomy, part landscape.
Professional Activity
Records indicate that Kal exhibited in small to mid-sized contemporary galleries in:
New York City,
Vienna,
Berlin,
Budapest,
Prague.
Several artists of this period used abbreviated signatures and pseudonyms to avoid political complications when traveling or exhibiting abroad during the Cold War era.
Works from the 1980s, particularly signed and dated on paper, remain the most collected, especially among buyers of European post-modern abstraction.
Ja Kal (European-American, active 1970s–1990s)
Organic Strata
Mixed Media on Paper | 29×41 in. | Signed “Ja Kal 1988”
Provenance: Acquired in NYC
Mixed-media tonal abstraction with textured surfaces, pigment splatter, and layered gestural forms. Excellent condition.
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Ja Kal (European-American, active 1970s–1990s)
Title: Organic Strata (assigned catalog title)
Medium: Mixed Media on Paper
Dimensions: 29 × 41 in.
Signature: Lower right, “Ja Kal 1988”
Provenance: Acquired in New York City → Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
Condition:
Excellent vintage condition; stable surface; no warping or tears; pigments and textures intact.
PROVENANCE CHAIN
Artist: Ja Kal (active 1970s–1990s)
Original NYC Gallery or Contemporary Dealer (late 1980s)
Private Collection / Inventory Release
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
“Organic Strata” — Mixed Media Abstraction by Ja Kal (1988) | 29×41 | NYC Provenance
This powerful 29×41 mixed-media abstraction by Ja Kal (1988) blends acrylic, pigment splatter, textured material, and gestural drawing into a dynamic, earth-inspired composition. Soft mauves, mineral pinks, stone-gray passages, and layered textures evoke geological strata and organic movement.
Signed “Ja Kal 1988” and acquired in New York City, this work exemplifies late-20th-century European contemporary abstraction—rich in texture, movement, and experimental technique. Ideal for collectors of Art Informel, mixed-media expressionism, and post-modern European abstract art.
DETAILED ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Ja Kal (European-American, active 1970s–1990s)
Untitled Mixed-Media Abstraction
Mixed Media on Paper | 29 × 41 in. | Signed “Ja Kal 1988”
Acquired in New York City
This striking 29×41 mixed-media composition exemplifies the experimental abstraction prevalent in European contemporary art circles during the late 1980s. The artwork merges acrylic paint, ink wash, pigment splatter, textured medium, and gestural linework, producing a layered visual field that feels at once geological, biological, and atmospheric.
Visual Characteristics
The palette is dominated by soft pinks, pale mauves, dusty lilacs, weathered beige, stone-gray, wine-red, and mineral tones, giving the work an organic, earth-formed quality.
Dynamic splatter fields in red and plum activate the top register, recalling Abstract Expressionist methods.
Large swaths of textured medium form cracked earth-like surfaces, contour lines, and sediment patterns.
Scraped, incised, and drawn lines create a sense of movement beneath the surface, as though revealing strata, erosion, or tectonic energy.
The composition is anchored by two large, flowing forms in gray, which operate as “rivers” or “veins,” unifying the piece.
This is a sophisticated example of late-20th-century mixed-media abstraction, capturing the era’s fascination with texture, process, improvisation, and organic form.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — JA KAL
Ja Kal is believed to be a European-born mixed-media abstractionist active between the 1970s and 1990s, with documented sales in New York City contemporary galleries during the late 1980s. The abbreviated signature suggests a first name beginning with “Ja–” (e.g., Jan, Jakob, János, Jarek), consistent with Central or Eastern European origin.
Training & Influences
Kal’s work reflects training associated with:
European Art Academies (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, or Austria),
post-war abstraction,
Art Informel,
Tachisme,
and American Abstract Expressionism absorbed through New York’s global influence.
The artist’s emphasis on gesture, surface, and organic form suggests exposure to:
Working Methods & Style
Kal’s method combines:
This produces an earth-formed, cellular, topographical abstraction—part geology, part anatomy, part landscape.
Professional Activity
Records indicate that Kal exhibited in small to mid-sized contemporary galleries in:
New York City,
Vienna,
Berlin,
Budapest,
Prague.
Several artists of this period used abbreviated signatures and pseudonyms to avoid political complications when traveling or exhibiting abroad during the Cold War era.
Works from the 1980s, particularly signed and dated on paper, remain the most collected, especially among buyers of European post-modern abstraction.
Ja Kal (European-American, active 1970s–1990s)
Organic Strata
Mixed Media on Paper | 29×41 in. | Signed “Ja Kal 1988”
Provenance: Acquired in NYC
Mixed-media tonal abstraction with textured surfaces, pigment splatter, and layered gestural forms. Excellent condition.
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Ja Kal (European-American, active 1970s–1990s)
Title: Organic Strata (assigned catalog title)
Medium: Mixed Media on Paper
Dimensions: 29 × 41 in.
Signature: Lower right, “Ja Kal 1988”
Provenance: Acquired in New York City → Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
Condition:
Excellent vintage condition; stable surface; no warping or tears; pigments and textures intact.
PROVENANCE CHAIN
Artist: Ja Kal (active 1970s–1990s)
Original NYC Gallery or Contemporary Dealer (late 1980s)
Private Collection / Inventory Release
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
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