Jordi Samsó | Primitive Bestiary and Totemic Figures (1988) | Mixed Media
A ritual painted on raw linen. The raw tension between ancestral rite and the urban urgency of 1980s Barcelona, resolved in a powerful 1x1 meter format.
History and Curatorial Analysis
The urban archaeology of a graphic artist
In 1988, while Barcelona looked towards the Olympic future, Jordi Samsó (1960) decided to look back, to the forgotten essence. The visual storytelling of this work does not seek anecdote, but atavistic impact. Samsó is not painting a gestural abstraction; he is performing a ritual on a contemporary "cave wall." The support is not a prepared canvas; it is thick, raw, unprimed linen sackcloth. This technical decision is the driving force of the entire piece: the pigment does not glide over the fabric, it embeds itself in it, giving the work an earthy and honest materiality.
Synthesis of beasts and guardians
The composition is structured by bold, charcoal-like black graphics, imitating the rawness of primitive charcoal applied with urgency. Samsó achieves the absolute synthesis of forms:
To the left, two vertical and schematic figures with totemic reminiscences stand. They are the guardians or witnesses framing the action.
To the right, the stroke curves and twists violently to materialize at least two quadruped creatures of prehistoric heritage. The vibration of the black lines suggests the movement and tension of a ritual or hunting scene.
The masterful touch that defines the piece is the chromatic violation: upon this black and atavistic chaos, deliberate splashes of fluorescent pink and electric blue burst forth. This technical decision causes an immediate temporal clash; it is the iconography of Altamira intervened by the neon of the modern city, annulling chronological time to connect the sympathetic magic of the first civilizations with the expressive pulse of the 80s.
Why is this piece an opportunity for your collection?
Consolidated Signature in Neo-Primitivism: This movement — which seeks to recover the tribal from the urban avant-garde — is highly valued by specialized collectors. This work fits perfectly into that narrative (following in the footsteps of Penck or Basquiat) with high-quality technical execution.
Presence and Scale: Its dimensions (100 x 100 cm) and square format make it an architectural piece. When hung, it functions as an ancient "fresco" torn off and preserved, capable of visually structuring a large wall on its own.
Aesthetic Sophistication: The mixture of the raw linen base, deep black, and fluorescent accents possesses a unique urban elegance. It is the ideal piece to break the coolness in contemporary design interiors, providing texture and "soul" without losing modernity.
Technical Details
Artist: Jordi Samsó (Barcelona, 1960).
Title / Theme: Primitivist composition / Figures and beasts.
Period: 1988 (Signed and dated).
Technique and Support: Mixed media (Acrylic and oil stick) on raw linen fabric (sackcloth).
Dimensions: 100 x 100 cm.
Signature and Inscriptions: Signed "Samsó 88" in the upper left corner.
Provenance: Secondary art market, private collection.
Condition: Good overall antique condition. The pictorial layer remains stable. Condition Note The raw linen support presents a small structural discontinuity. This detail does not compromise the visual legibility or the material force of the work, and can be easily stabilized if desired.
Inspection Guarantee: 14-day guaranteed return to inspect the work in person and verify its material quality.
The Workshop's Note
This is a piece for those who understand that modern art, deep down, still tries to capture reality with the same urgency and magic as our ancestors in the caves. The small historical mark detected on the perimeter of the linen, far from being a hidden defect, is part of the history and atavistic character of this sackcloth that has endured for over three decades.
