| Untitled
(Geometric Abstraction with Bronze Background)-
-
1940, Encaustic.
Signed and dated,
lower left.
Image size 10 x 8
inches (254 x 203 mm).
A fine, modernist
abstraction, with fresh colors, buff wove paper; the image extending to
the sheet edges. An invisibly reaired tear (1/2 inch) in the bottom sheet
edge, a reinforced crease in the top right sheet corner (3/4 inch) otherwise
in excellent condition. The bronze colored background and muted palette
lend the work a sense of ascending space and mysterious, mystical energy.
Encaustic painting,
also known as hot wax painting, dates back to ancient Greece. Traditionally
colored pigments were added were to heated beeswax, the oldest known pigment
binder, to create the paint medium. Since heat is not absolutely necessary
for this medium, encaustic has come to mean any painting method in which
pigment is mixed with beeswax.
The encaustic medium,
similar in appearance to oil painting, can be applied to any number of
surfaces from paper to stone. It allows for a great variety of texture
and has the advantage of not yellowing, of weathering well, and of being
unaffected by moisture. The final surface may be polished with a soft
cloth to create a luminous sheen.
$5000. |