Lot Closes In:
Colin Middleton
EDGE OF THE FOREST
Lot 5
Current Bid:
€3,200
Bid History:
2 Bids
Estimate:
€5,000 - €8,000
Ending:
18:03:00 on 28/05/2024
Colin Middleton RHA, RUA, MBA, 1910-1983
EDGE OF THE FORREST
Oil on board, 16" x 16" (40.6 x 40.6cm), signed with monogram.
Provenance: The Bell Gallery, Belfast (label verso)
Exhibited: 'Colin Middleton, Paintings 1960-1970', Arts Council o... Read more
Lot 5
Colin Middleton
EDGE OF THE FOREST
EDGE OF THE FORREST
Oil on board, 16" x 16" (40.6 x 40.6cm), signed with monogram.
Provenance: The Bell Gallery, Belfast (label verso)
Exhibited: 'Colin Middleton, Paintings 1960-1970', Arts Council o... Read more
Lot 5
Colin Middleton
EDGE OF THE FOREST
Estimate:
€5,000 - €8,000
Colin Middleton RHA, RUA, MBA, 1910-1983
EDGE OF THE FORREST
Oil on board, 16" x 16" (40.6 x 40.6cm), signed with monogram.
Provenance: The Bell Gallery, Belfast (label verso)
Exhibited: 'Colin Middleton, Paintings 1960-1970', Arts Council of Northern Ireland (touring to various venues), catalogue number 76
Edge of the Forest is an unusual painting within Middleton's work at this time. The landscapes that attracted him were often extensive and open, and figures in his landscapes are rare in the 1960s. Edge of the Forest is unusually intimate and mysterious, and almost relates more closely to the series of paintings Middleton made of his wife, Kathleen, reading, knitting or playing the piano in a domestic setting through the late 1950s and the 1960s.
The image allows Middleton to play around with abstract shapes and patterns in a manner that relates to his early work and training as a linen designer, although it is also tempting to see some influence, perhaps unexpectedly, of the work of his son John, a printmaker and painter who was a student at the Royal College of Art at this time.
The trees are highly stylised, with non-naturalistic highlights of colour that break up the strong verticals that dominate the composition, as do the shadows on the forest floor and the more complex shapes from the female figure. The sense of narrative, conveyed by mood more than by any hints of action or event, is unusual in Middleton's work in the 1960s and looks back to his earlier surrealist work, and possibly also forward to some of the Wilderness paintings of the next decade. Notably, however, there is consistency in Middleton's interest in the use of the female figure as an archetype which is brought into close association with the natural world.
Dickon Hall, April 2024
EDGE OF THE FORREST
Oil on board, 16" x 16" (40.6 x 40.6cm), signed with monogram.
Provenance: The Bell Gallery, Belfast (label verso)
Exhibited: 'Colin Middleton, Paintings 1960-1970', Arts Council of Northern Ireland (touring to various venues), catalogue number 76
Edge of the Forest is an unusual painting within Middleton's work at this time. The landscapes that attracted him were often extensive and open, and figures in his landscapes are rare in the 1960s. Edge of the Forest is unusually intimate and mysterious, and almost relates more closely to the series of paintings Middleton made of his wife, Kathleen, reading, knitting or playing the piano in a domestic setting through the late 1950s and the 1960s.
The image allows Middleton to play around with abstract shapes and patterns in a manner that relates to his early work and training as a linen designer, although it is also tempting to see some influence, perhaps unexpectedly, of the work of his son John, a printmaker and painter who was a student at the Royal College of Art at this time.
The trees are highly stylised, with non-naturalistic highlights of colour that break up the strong verticals that dominate the composition, as do the shadows on the forest floor and the more complex shapes from the female figure. The sense of narrative, conveyed by mood more than by any hints of action or event, is unusual in Middleton's work in the 1960s and looks back to his earlier surrealist work, and possibly also forward to some of the Wilderness paintings of the next decade. Notably, however, there is consistency in Middleton's interest in the use of the female figure as an archetype which is brought into close association with the natural world.
Dickon Hall, April 2024
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All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
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