Lot 394
  • 394

Peter Dahl Swedish B. 1934

bidding is closed

Description

  • Peter Dahl
  • Mot Röd Tapet (Against Red Wallpaper)
  • signed and dated PETER DAHL - 76 l.r.
  • oil on canvas

  • 146 by 194cm., 54½ by 76½in.

Literature

Folke Edwards, Peter Dahl, 1996, p. 104, Stockholm, mentioned

Condition

Original canvas. There is some retouching to the top of the head of the figure on the right corresponding to a repair in the canvas and a spot of retouching to the left of the figure's head on the left addressing a small spot of paint loss (visible under ultraviolet light). There are some pigments towards the lower edge of the work which fluoresce under ultraviolet light though these do not appear to be retouchings. There are some signs of craquelure and there is a small spot of paint loss to the top of the figure's head on the left (visible in the catalogue illustration). Held in a simple gilt wood frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Painted in 1976.

Admired and celebrated by the public, Peter Dahl has earned himself a reputation as a provocateur and rebel of society. His breakthrough came in the late 1970s during which time he became increasingly personal in his choice of subjects, often referring to his private life in his paintings.

Dahl stands apart from many of his contemporaries in the use of oil paint as his preferred medium. Employing such traditional methods more usually associated with 'bourgeois' art, Dahl found a direct means to criticise bourgeois society and its values.

During the mid-1970s Dahl painted a few of his best works, many of which are dominated by a silent, tranquil atmosphere. In I väntan på något (While waiting for something) from 1976-78, the two isolated figures seated at separate tables are crushed into a confined space, making them seem fragile and transient. Similarly claustrophobic, the present work dates from the same period and depicts three middle-aged figures, apparently female, seated in close proximity, two of whom share a conversation while the other blandly gazes out towards the viewer. Both this painting and the previous lot feature a lone bottle of alcohol, alluding to the emptiness of the protagonists' lives.

Previously identifying himself as a left-wing missionary with heroic ambitions to elevate the general public to a higher level through his art, Dahl changed his political and social stance during the 1970s abandoning this socially conscious perspective for a more trivial and personal approach to painting. Having begun to teach at Mejan (the Royal College of Art in Stockholm), Dahl was not under as much pressure to sell his paintings in order to survive and therefore could afford to spend more time on each work. Concurrently he began an affair with a much younger pupil, Elisabeth Jansson that transformed his quiet family life with his wife Berit Strömberg into a hectic bar and restaurant hopping existence.