Appel's Appels, presented by Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Limited (oversize SC, 1972, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Appel started out his late teens during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. He had been kicked out of his home because he wanted to be a painter. The German Police wanted him, and other Amsterdam youth, to work for their war industry. Somehow Appel managed to keep painting, even though painting supplies in occupied Amsterdam had pretty much vanished. In 1948 he helped found the avant-garde CoBrA (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam) movement "characterized by bold expressionist forms and raw intense colors".
His days in Amsterdam would come to an early end when he made a mural for the City Hall. He had taken discarded pieces of wood, nailed them to an old window shutter, and added roughly painted figures and vibrant colors. His art was his response to the war's horrors. It was not a response appreciated by most Amsterdam citizens, so they wallpapered over the mural, and Appel left town for Paris and the world. 10 years later he had become a folk hero, was welcomed home, and the wallpaper taken down.
This is my first exposure to Appel, and my initial response was, early paintings- nope, later paintings- maybe, sculpture- cool! Now that I have spent some time with his stuff I am even beginning to like his earlier stuff. (Especially check out the City Hall mural, Questioning Children.) Look for this book in the arts section, avail. 12/14.
