Ger Lataster - The Golden Spade

Although Ger Lataster (1920–2012) is known worldwide as one of the most important Dutch abstract expressionists, a motif such as the spade marks a very specific and fascinating transitional period in his oeuvre.
From the second half of the 1960s and into the 1970s, Lataster began experimenting with adding recognizable, everyday objects to his previously completely abstract, stormy canvases. The spade (or shovel) became an important, recurring symbol in this work.

The tension between abstraction and figuration: Lataster hurled his emotions directly onto the canvas with grand, dynamic gestures. In this specific period, he introduced contrast by using alien materials such as gold and silver paint, spray lacquer, and plastic film. An object like a spade was then accentuated with gold paint or sharp lines, making the object seem to 'detach' from the abstract, chaotic background.

The works in this series beautifully demonstrate how Lataster refused to become stagnant in pure abstraction. By placing a 'golden' or expressively accentuated spade in the midst of an explosion of color, he forced the viewer to balance between tangible reality and pure, raw emotion.