Composition
Serge Poliakoff (Moscow 1906 – Paris 1969)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
1959
Materials
Gouache on paper
Measurements
600 x 462 mm (vertical)
Place of origin
Paris
Order this imageCollection
Dudmaston, Shropshire
NT 813613
Caption
Serge Poliakoff was a Russian born modernist painter considered as one of the most powerful painters of his generation. His works are displayed in many European museums and galleries and also in New York.
Summary
Gouache on paper, Composition, 1959 by Serge Poliakoff (Moscow 1906 – Paris 1969), signed bottom right, 1959. A fine example of non-geometrical shapes of flame-like character. Cream card mount/glazed in deep giltwood frame. This painting is a strong formal construction, carefully balanced using harmonious shapes and colours. The many hues found in each section demonstrate Poliakoff’s mastery of colour and the relationship between colours. The intersecting abstract forms and colour here are a fine example of his work. The spectator is provoked into an almost physical appreciation of the substance of the painting. Initially a talented guitarist and then a figurative painter, Poliakoff painted his first abstract pictures in 1938 having studied at the Slade School in London between 1935 and 1937. On returning to Paris in 1937 he became acquainted with Wassily Kandinsky, Sonia and Robert Delaunay and Freundlich. An oil painting on canvas, 'Composition 1956' by Poliakoff is also included in the collection at Dudmaston (NT 814229).
Provenance
With The Hanover Gallery Ltd, 32a St George Street London W1; Sir George Labouchere collection; handed to the National Trust by Sir George Labouchere (1908 – 1999) under a Deed of Gift dated 30 September 1994
Credit line
Dudmaston, The Sir George Labouchere Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
23 (older sticky label)
Makers and roles
Serge Poliakoff (Moscow 1906 – Paris 1969), artist