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Lot Essay
Wayne Thiebaud's exquisite painting of a chocolate éclair is a potent example of the artist's ability to transform simple objects into works that are visually appealing and yet humorous and oddly moving. Situated on one of the artist's characteristic white backgrounds, the layers of pastry, cream, chocolate, and frosting emerge from the surface of the canvas by means of Thiebaud's characteristically generous application of paint, which so closely mimics the luscious layers of confectionary the artist renders with almost reverent fervor.
Formally, this work bears the hallmarks of Theibaud's unconventional sense of composition. Positioned slightly off center, the ambrosial pull of the subject is disrupted by the brutality of the knife that slices into the "body" of the éclair. This odd juxtaposition of the comforting and familiar with the harshness of the inevitable "cut" is characteristic of Thiebaud's very best work. Despite the familiarity of the subject matter there is often something about his work that is unnerving. The contrast between the soft, saccharine nature of the cream filing and the rigid angularity of the metal knife is striking; Thiebaud's masterful paint-handling technique orchestrates these varying elements into a symphony of paint and color.
The ubiquitous nature of Thiebaud's subject matter belies an artist passionate about the possibility of paint: "People say painting's dead. Fine. It's dead for you. I don't care. Painting is alive for me. Painting is life for me" (as quoted in Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings Retrospective, New York, p. 41). For over half a century, Thiebaud has produced works that are painterly investigations of American life through its objects, people, streets and landscapes, always realized in a beguiling, but highly controlled manner. Thiebaud looks for larger truths in small gestures and some of his smallest works are among the most tantalizing, with each precise brushstroke producing so much detail that even the smallest work comes alive with excitement and color.
Thiebaud's paintings of cakes and confectionary are among the highlights of his career. In them, he does not merely imitate, but rather enlists his paints to fashion his compositions like a confectioner, using his brush and palette knife in the place of fondant and gum paste tools to shape and model his impasto. Using similar skills and techniques, Thiebaud applies his medium to the surface of the canvas and in the process creates a delicious and tantalizing optical experience that excites epicurean anticipation.
Formally, this work bears the hallmarks of Theibaud's unconventional sense of composition. Positioned slightly off center, the ambrosial pull of the subject is disrupted by the brutality of the knife that slices into the "body" of the éclair. This odd juxtaposition of the comforting and familiar with the harshness of the inevitable "cut" is characteristic of Thiebaud's very best work. Despite the familiarity of the subject matter there is often something about his work that is unnerving. The contrast between the soft, saccharine nature of the cream filing and the rigid angularity of the metal knife is striking; Thiebaud's masterful paint-handling technique orchestrates these varying elements into a symphony of paint and color.
The ubiquitous nature of Thiebaud's subject matter belies an artist passionate about the possibility of paint: "People say painting's dead. Fine. It's dead for you. I don't care. Painting is alive for me. Painting is life for me" (as quoted in Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings Retrospective, New York, p. 41). For over half a century, Thiebaud has produced works that are painterly investigations of American life through its objects, people, streets and landscapes, always realized in a beguiling, but highly controlled manner. Thiebaud looks for larger truths in small gestures and some of his smallest works are among the most tantalizing, with each precise brushstroke producing so much detail that even the smallest work comes alive with excitement and color.
Thiebaud's paintings of cakes and confectionary are among the highlights of his career. In them, he does not merely imitate, but rather enlists his paints to fashion his compositions like a confectioner, using his brush and palette knife in the place of fondant and gum paste tools to shape and model his impasto. Using similar skills and techniques, Thiebaud applies his medium to the surface of the canvas and in the process creates a delicious and tantalizing optical experience that excites epicurean anticipation.