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William Scott
NUDE ON A YELLOW COUCH
Lot 37
Price Realised:
€55,000
Estimate:
€70,000 - €100,000
William Scott CBE, RA, 1913-1989
NUDE ON A YELLOW COUCH c.1938-1939
Oil on canvas, 35 1/2" x 27 1/5" (90 x 70cm).
Provenance: Acquired from the artist by Julia Correlleau (Hôtel de la Poste, Pont-Aven) and then by descent to the previou...
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Lot 37
William Scott
NUDE ON A YELLOW COUCH
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Lot 37
William Scott
NUDE ON A YELLOW COUCH
Estimate:
€70,000 - €100,000
William Scott CBE, RA, 1913-1989
NUDE ON A YELLOW COUCH c.1938-1939
Oil on canvas, 35 1/2" x 27 1/5" (90 x 70cm).
Provenance: Acquired from the artist by Julia Correlleau (Hôtel de la Poste, Pont-Aven) and then by descent to the previous owner; Artcurial, Paris, April 2023, lot 207.
Exhibited: Pont-Aven, Musee, British Painters in Britanny, June-September 2004, No. 43, reproduced in colour p.92.
Literature: S. Whitfield, William Scott: Catalogue Raisonne of Oil Paintings 1969-1989, vol. 4, London, 2013, No. A193, reproduced in colour p.389 (title Nude on a Yellow Couch).
During Scott's two year sojourn on the continent he embraced every opportunity to visit museums to see first-hand the paintings he had only known from reproduction. During this period Scott rejected Surrealism, Cubism and complete abstraction, which were then fashionable, identifying instead with the semi-abstract approach of artists like Matisse and Modigliani, whose nude studies particularly resonated with him. In his Nude with Yellow Divan we can see his debt to them in the flattened picture space and emphasis on linear rhythms, while still managing to forge a style that is identifiably his own.
This Scott is pared down, austere and modest—elements that will characterise his work for decades to come. In Nude with Yellow Divan the artist animates the surface through the care and deliberation he puts into the composition: the head of the model (his wife Mary) faces left while her body is orientated to the right; arms, legs, torso and bedcover disrupt any horizontal stability by being arranged in angular directions that keep the eye moving with a circular momentum around the picture. It's clear that Scott's intention is not to faithfully reproduce what he sees, but to translate what he sees into an independent painting with its own internal logic, rhythm and character.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA, May 2023
NUDE ON A YELLOW COUCH c.1938-1939
Oil on canvas, 35 1/2" x 27 1/5" (90 x 70cm).
Provenance: Acquired from the artist by Julia Correlleau (Hôtel de la Poste, Pont-Aven) and then by descent to the previous owner; Artcurial, Paris, April 2023, lot 207.
Exhibited: Pont-Aven, Musee, British Painters in Britanny, June-September 2004, No. 43, reproduced in colour p.92.
Literature: S. Whitfield, William Scott: Catalogue Raisonne of Oil Paintings 1969-1989, vol. 4, London, 2013, No. A193, reproduced in colour p.389 (title Nude on a Yellow Couch).
During Scott's two year sojourn on the continent he embraced every opportunity to visit museums to see first-hand the paintings he had only known from reproduction. During this period Scott rejected Surrealism, Cubism and complete abstraction, which were then fashionable, identifying instead with the semi-abstract approach of artists like Matisse and Modigliani, whose nude studies particularly resonated with him. In his Nude with Yellow Divan we can see his debt to them in the flattened picture space and emphasis on linear rhythms, while still managing to forge a style that is identifiably his own.
This Scott is pared down, austere and modest—elements that will characterise his work for decades to come. In Nude with Yellow Divan the artist animates the surface through the care and deliberation he puts into the composition: the head of the model (his wife Mary) faces left while her body is orientated to the right; arms, legs, torso and bedcover disrupt any horizontal stability by being arranged in angular directions that keep the eye moving with a circular momentum around the picture. It's clear that Scott's intention is not to faithfully reproduce what he sees, but to translate what he sees into an independent painting with its own internal logic, rhythm and character.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA, May 2023
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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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