.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
One of the most remarkable artistic developments within the 1930s was John Piper's swift move through a series of experiments to a position of central importance within the history of modernism in Britain. Prior to this he had looked inquisitively at many things: at the painterly lyricism associated with 7 & 5 Society painting; at Picasso's teasing use of collage; at Hans Arp's string pictures; and at Braque's habit of letting a line float free of its descriptive role so as to bind into a unity objects and space. That Piper was open to the new was evident. But the speed at which he assimilated innovatory methods may have cast doubt on whether he would arrive at a definite and distinctive visual language of his own. But if such doubts existed they were banished late in 1934 by a cluster of abstract reliefs which were followed in 1935 by a series of mature abstract paintings. Both reliefs and paintings have simple generic titles. At one level the spare title used here - Painting 1935 - refers to its medium and date; but at another level it signals complete confidence in the link between the two: this, in Piper's view, is what a painting needed to look like at that moment in time: instead of imitating others he was now making history.
This painting shares many characteristics with other of Piper's abstracts from 1935. He has covered the plywood panel with a layer of canvas, which is then cut away in places by means of a razor, and this play with relief sets up aconversation with contrasting textures created by matt oil paint and the more enamel-like quality of Ripolin. He uses a limited palette to create a strong but subtle colour chord across the image. It concentrates attention on the march of forms across the centre of the canvas, which carry a reminiscence of Wyndham Lewis's Vorticist style. More personal to Piper are the semi-circular protuberances which counter the architectural severity of the design and may have feminine connotations. He also uses a few slight diagonals, notably in the line of black dots which stitches its way through the centre of the picture, to give the picture an unexpected lilt.
This painting played a part in the promotion of the 'Modern Movement', as modernism was called at that time. In 1935 it was shown in the 7 & 5 Society annual exhibition which was for the first time entirely dedicated to abstract art. The person behind this decision was Ben Nicholson, and his announcement of intent, with regard to this show, had been made in 1934. As Piper was then Nicholson's right-hand man, it made imperative his move into abstraction. But he was also encouraged in this direction by his new partner and future wife Myfanwy Evans, who returned from a visit to Paris, in 1934, determined to found and edit a cutting-edge art magazine that would promote not just English but international abstract art. This was Axis, for which Piper designed the cover and assisted with layout. Association with this magazine involved him in avant-garde debate and benefitted his work. In November 1935, the fourth issue of Axis carried two articles on Piper's recent work. High praise came from the critic Hugh Gordon Porteus: 'The results have a beauty, a purity, and an honesty which must compel admiration. Piper has made himself an absolute master of the game he plays'. Among the illustrations is this picture, Painting 1935.
It was exhibited again the following year, in another seminal exhibition, 'Modern Art for Modern Rooms', organised by S. John Woods for Duncan Miller's showrooms. Here Painting 1935 hung above a Wells Coates radiogram and in close proximity to an Isokon Long Chair, among other examples of the latest in modern design, as can be seen from the photograph on the cover of the catalogue to this exhibition. The photograph reminds us that this abstract painting belongs not just to a particular moment in the history of British art but also to the larger climate created by International Modernism. At a time when many artists had fled totalitarian regimes in Russia and Germany, where modern or experimental art was banned, abstract art took on an urgency and a resonance associated with individual freedom. In the hands of Piper, Nicholson and Mondrian, to name just three artists, it strove to arrive at a style that overrode barriers of class or nationality. The toughness and strength within Piper's Painting 1935 owes much to the hope and optimism that flourished, momentarily, in art of the mid-1930s.
We are very grateful to Frances Spalding for preparing this catalogue entry.
This painting shares many characteristics with other of Piper's abstracts from 1935. He has covered the plywood panel with a layer of canvas, which is then cut away in places by means of a razor, and this play with relief sets up aconversation with contrasting textures created by matt oil paint and the more enamel-like quality of Ripolin. He uses a limited palette to create a strong but subtle colour chord across the image. It concentrates attention on the march of forms across the centre of the canvas, which carry a reminiscence of Wyndham Lewis's Vorticist style. More personal to Piper are the semi-circular protuberances which counter the architectural severity of the design and may have feminine connotations. He also uses a few slight diagonals, notably in the line of black dots which stitches its way through the centre of the picture, to give the picture an unexpected lilt.
This painting played a part in the promotion of the 'Modern Movement', as modernism was called at that time. In 1935 it was shown in the 7 & 5 Society annual exhibition which was for the first time entirely dedicated to abstract art. The person behind this decision was Ben Nicholson, and his announcement of intent, with regard to this show, had been made in 1934. As Piper was then Nicholson's right-hand man, it made imperative his move into abstraction. But he was also encouraged in this direction by his new partner and future wife Myfanwy Evans, who returned from a visit to Paris, in 1934, determined to found and edit a cutting-edge art magazine that would promote not just English but international abstract art. This was Axis, for which Piper designed the cover and assisted with layout. Association with this magazine involved him in avant-garde debate and benefitted his work. In November 1935, the fourth issue of Axis carried two articles on Piper's recent work. High praise came from the critic Hugh Gordon Porteus: 'The results have a beauty, a purity, and an honesty which must compel admiration. Piper has made himself an absolute master of the game he plays'. Among the illustrations is this picture, Painting 1935.
It was exhibited again the following year, in another seminal exhibition, 'Modern Art for Modern Rooms', organised by S. John Woods for Duncan Miller's showrooms. Here Painting 1935 hung above a Wells Coates radiogram and in close proximity to an Isokon Long Chair, among other examples of the latest in modern design, as can be seen from the photograph on the cover of the catalogue to this exhibition. The photograph reminds us that this abstract painting belongs not just to a particular moment in the history of British art but also to the larger climate created by International Modernism. At a time when many artists had fled totalitarian regimes in Russia and Germany, where modern or experimental art was banned, abstract art took on an urgency and a resonance associated with individual freedom. In the hands of Piper, Nicholson and Mondrian, to name just three artists, it strove to arrive at a style that overrode barriers of class or nationality. The toughness and strength within Piper's Painting 1935 owes much to the hope and optimism that flourished, momentarily, in art of the mid-1930s.
We are very grateful to Frances Spalding for preparing this catalogue entry.