Dimensions: support: 775 x 580 mm
Copyright: © Leon Kossoff | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Leon Kossoff's "Portrait of Anne," currently residing at the Tate. The impasto is so thick; you can practically see the labor in each stroke! What do you make of this materiality? Curator: The sheer physicality is key. Kossoff's application of paint—its cost, its source, the labor involved—speaks to a post-war sensibility. It challenges the preciousness often associated with portraiture. Editor: So, it's about more than just representing Anne; it's about the act of making itself? Curator: Precisely! Consider the socio-economic context: austerity, rebuilding. This isn't delicate brushwork; it's almost sculptural. The paint itself becomes a record of the artist’s process, almost a document of labor. Editor: I never considered the paint as a historical artifact. Thanks! Curator: It is vital to examine all of the material elements.
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Kossoff has made drawings and paintings of members of his family and close friends since the beginning of his career in the early 1950s. These images are made direct from life. Through drawing Kossoff seeks a deeper understanding of his subject. For him, drawing is an essential preliminary stage, often lasting many months or longer, to making paintings; the paintings themselves are usually completed in a single session. This painting shows Kossoff's friend Anne. It is one of a series of portraits of his wife, his brother and other friends made in the late - 1980s to mid - 1990s. Gallery label, September 2004
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