Miquel Barceló

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is warmer in the original, with less pink tones and more variations of cream in the background. The catalogue illustration fails to fully convey the rich surface texture apparent in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Upon close inspection, there are short tension cracks running intermittently along the vertical edges and on the top edge towards the top right hand corner. There is a tiny loss towards the top right corner and a few further small losses along the top edge. There are a few light scattered rub mark and some light surface dirt in places. All surface irregularities are inherent to the artist's choice of medium and working process. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

Tallades –which translates loosely as ‘chopped’ or ‘sliced’ in Catalan – is a palpable materialisation of Miquel Barcelo’s reinterpretation of the still life, a genre deeply embedded within the history of art. Of acute and continual interest to the artist throughout his esteemed career, Barcelo’s fascination with still life and the influence it provided to the artist’s evolving visual platform can be traced back to his first encounters with the work of the European masters during his studies.  During a prolonged trip to Europe in 1982, Barcelo’s artistic development was further inspired by the work of the Italian masters Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Tintoretto as well as the Vanitas produced by 17^th century Spanish artists such as Juan Sanchez Cotan, as Barcelo himself stated: ‘I have often thought that Caravaggio’s theatricality was an effective means of throwing a message-image at the viewer. I have often thought of that for my own paintings… In Venice… I became attached to [Tintoretto’s] strange perspectives and to his oblique lighting creating cinematographic colour contrasts.’ (Miquel Barcelo in: Exhibition Catalogue, Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, Miquel Barcelo, Paintings from 1983 to 1985, 1986, pp. 13-14).

The influence of Caravaggio and Tintoretto can indeed be seen in the current lot, which appears to depict a string of garlic cloves. The striking fall of the shadows against the contours of the ellipses is reminiscent of Caravaggio’s own highly dramatic use of light and dark, whilst the intriguing perspective that suspends the herb in its own spatial plane of abstraction, speaks to Tintoretto’s occasionally dizzying experiments with spatiality. The remarkable earthiness and tactility of the paint surface seems to further play with the viewer’s perspectival awareness, morphing the ordinary into the extraordinary and elevating a still life subject to one worthy of metaphysical contemplation.