Lot 266 D

Over the course of Serge Poliakoff's late work - and in the midst of his characteristic compositions built up out of forms - we repeatedly find individual works which possess a veritably monochrome, spherical quality and exude a meditative effect. These include the painting offered here, which succinctly sets itself apart from the other works painted around 1967. During this period, the artist primarily created variations on compositions featuring sharp-edged, clearly delineated forms in complementary colour contrasts of blue, red and yellow. This work, on the other hand, is defined by compositional tranquillity and harmony and, with its concentration on the independent value of colour, it is an eloquent expression of Poliakoff's talent as a colourist. The luminous tones of blue softly merge together and have been applied with vigorous brushstrokes; the colours and the suggested forms shimmer within an open framework. The saturated colour glows, but it is simultaneously matt and chalky, and its surface has a grainy texture.
“Poliakoff is distinguished by his exceptional sense of colour and his talent for causing material, light, form and colour to vibrantly merge together. Through the greater or lesser extent to which the underlying chromatic layers shine through, each coloured form is provided with an atmospheric quality, an inner resonance and a vibrant presence.” (Annette Gautherie-Kampka, in: Serge Poliakoff. Im Reich der Farbe, exhib. cat. Galerie Française, München 2000, p. 11).