Dimensions: support: 460 x 359 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Leon Underwood, courtesy The Redfern Gallery, London | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is "The Fireside" by Leon Underwood. The dimensions are 460 by 359 mm. I’m really drawn to the muted color palette, it creates a quiet atmosphere. What do you see in the formal composition? Curator: The painting’s strength lies in its simplification of form. Notice how Underwood uses blocks of color and flattened perspective. The arrangement creates a rhythmic interplay, almost a grid-like structure that underpins the domestic scene. Editor: So, it's less about realism and more about the arrangement of shapes and colors? Curator: Precisely. The emotional impact comes from this formal relationship, not necessarily from a narrative reading of mother and child. It’s a study in the language of form itself. Editor: That's a different way of approaching it than I expected. Thanks. Curator: It’s all about deconstructing the visual elements. A pleasure, as always.
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This intimate scene shows a woman cradling a baby in front of a fireplace. The mother and child is a very traditional subject in Western art. However, in Underwood's image the clothes and furnishings emphasise the modernity and mundanity of the scene. In addition the age and appearance of the woman suggest that she is not actually the mother, but perhaps a nurse. Leon Underwood was a sculptor, painter, wood engraver and writer. He founded his own art school in London in 1921. Gallery label, August 2004
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