Leon Kossoff

Fisher Fine Art Ltd., London
Runkel-Hue-Williams Ltd., London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1989

Oxford, Museum of Modern Art; Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery, Leon Kossoff: Paintings from a Decade 1970 - 1980, 1981, p. 10, no. 5, illustrated

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although there are more prominent forest green tones in the original. Condition: This work is very good condition. No restoration is visible under ultra-violet light.
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Masterfully executed, Leon Kossoff’s Self-Portrait no. 1 reveals the artist’s exploration of the essence of his subjects – including  himself. Titled as Kossoff’s very first self-portrait, and  prestigiously included in the Museum of Modern Art Oxford 1981 exhibition Leon Kossoff: Paintings from a decade 1970 – 1980, the present work is both formally arresting and imbued with art historical significance. In the manner of Rembrandt’s self-portraits, Kossoff’s work conveys a sensation of intimacy yet grandeur. Layers of rich paint have been scraped away and reapplied continuously until the result is deemed  satisfactory. The effect is reminiscent of a sculpture, bringing an element of fluidity and texture to the portrait, quite literally providing the work with dimension. With its subdued tones and  the artist’s striking impasto, Kossoff’s Self-Portrait no. 1reinvents the traditions of painterly painting.

Known for his London landscapes and expressive portraits, Kossoff is a member of the School of London, a group of painters that includes Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. A regular visitor to the National Gallery since the age of 14, the artist pays homage to the Old Masters throughout his work. His painterly method was rooted in drawing numerous studies, each the product of intimate observation. In the present work, there is a sense of the artist discovering himself through repeated examination and, as Rembrandt before him, of producing a personal confession through vigorous brushstrokes.

Discussing Kossoff's work, Klaus Kertess wrote, “[t]he muted earthen tones, monumental scale, and visceral layering of loaded brushstrokes all congeal into precarious likenesses in Kossoff's heads. There is a sense that both painter and painted seem to struggle together for identity. The modest format (seldom more than 30 inches in height) of the portrait paintings is nevertheless densely packed with drawing incidents; every millimetre of the surface is pulled into action. The heavier the impasto of the face filling the space, the more modulations of light suffuse and transform the face in the portrait. These works radiate a sombre grace and earthenness that can be related to Cézanne’s mid-1860s portraits of his uncle and also to Van Gogh’s early paintings of peasants, both groups of work that are highly regarded by Kossoff” (Exhibition Catalogue, London, Annely Juda Fine Art, Leon Kossoff, 2000, p. 10).