Fernando Zobél, In Search of an Identity: 1953, First Notes of a Travel to Japan

This essay discusses an early visit of the artist Fernando Zobel to Japan, which is not included in his biographies. The evidence of this stay in the Japanese archipelago is kept in a notebook found in the Museo de Arte Abstracto Espanol de Cuenca in Spain. The notebook is a collection of drawings and notes made by Zobel between 1 June 1953 and 18 June 1954. This essay seeks to locate the notebook in its context, and identify the subjects represented in the drawings. It analyses the interest hidden behind these subjects and the intention of the artist, and shows that the style and subject matter are in keeping with the creative moment he was in: searching for his identity.