John Bunker reviews the exhibition Hantaï, Hartung, Soulages and Tàpies at Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, on view through January 18, 2014.

Bunker writes: "…how did these four artists coming to prominence in Europe during the 50s develop ideas about abstraction on their own terms? That’s a complex question, but what comes to the fore in this show is an emphasis on the material properties of paint, canvas, tools and techniques. There is a drive to record the results of experiments made on these materials as they are transformed by different kinds of physical pressures asserted upon them by the artist."