Dimensions: support: 676 x 1000 mm frame: 720 x 1044 x 45 mm
Copyright: © The Trustees of Winifred Nicholson | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Winifred Nicholson's "Quarante Huit Quai d’Auteuil" presents us with a fascinating interplay of geometric forms. Editor: It's deceptively simple, isn't it? A sort of quiet, meditative arrangement. Those soft colors feel very calming. Curator: Nicholson worked with the avant-garde, and you can see it here: she engages with the visual language of abstraction that gained traction in the early 20th century. The title references a Parisian address, hinting at place. Editor: The circles and squares evoke a sense of wholeness and containment, like mandalas perhaps, but the geometric precision interrupts any straightforward interpretation. Curator: Nicholson was deeply engaged in spiritualism and theosophy, seeking to find harmonies between the visible and invisible worlds. The sparseness reflects those interests. Editor: And notice the subtle layering of shapes and colors, creating depth and luminosity. It almost feels like a window onto another dimension. Curator: Nicholson's work is a testament to her exploration of form and color, filtered through the lens of modern life and spiritual seeking. Editor: Indeed. A beautiful reminder that simplicity can often hold the most profound truths.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/nicholson-quarante-huit-quai-dauteuil-t01995
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The title of this work refers to Winifred Nicholson’s address in Paris, where she lived from 1932 to 1938, befriending artists such as Piet Mondrian, Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp and Jean Hélion. Nicholson painted her first abstract paintings in 1934, exhibiting them under the name Winifred Dacre. The paintings are expressions of colour and light, and she wrote that ‘the nature of abstract colour is utter purity – but colours wish to fly, to merge, to change each other by their juxtapositions, to radiate, to shine, to withdraw deep within themselves.’ Gallery label, November 2015