Dimensions: unconfirmed: 757 x 660 mm
Copyright: © Leon Kossoff | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This Leon Kossoff drawing, "Christ Church, Spitalfields," now in the Tate, hits me right in the gut. It’s like a memory struggling to surface. Curator: Kossoff, born in 1926, consistently returned to the urban landscape, particularly London's post-war architecture, revealing the intersection between the built environment and lived experience. Editor: It feels so…fragmented. The church looms, but the lines are frantic, almost collapsing. Is it the weight of history, or maybe just the weight of the charcoal itself? Curator: Think about Spitalfields, historically a site of immigration and shifting populations. The church, built in the 18th century, represents power, but also perhaps the vulnerability of communities it overlooked. Editor: It’s funny, isn't it? How a building, meant to inspire, can feel so burdened. I see a city, not just built, but felt. Curator: Kossoff gives us a London that isn't pristine, but rather palpably affected by human life and societal pressures. Editor: Yeah, a space etched into the soul, not just the skyline.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/kossoff-christ-church-spitalfields-t06771
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This drawing is the preparatory work for the painting adjacent to it. Leon Kossoff was born and studied in London and uses the city as his principal subject. He likes to draw and paint the everyday life on the streets of London. Paintings are done in his studio but large charcoal drawing such as this are drawn on the spot. Kossoff has done a series of drawings and paintings on the subject of the grand city church, Christchurch, Spitalfields, by the architect Hawksmoor, inspired by the great mass of the building in relation to the streets around it. Gallery label, September 2004
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