- 149
André Masson
Description
- André Masson
- Orphée outragé
- Signed André Masson and dated 33 (lower right)
- Oil on canvas
- 21 3/4 by 18 1/4 in.
- 55.2 by 46.3 cm
Provenance
The Mayor Gallery, London
Galerie Gianna Sistu, Paris
Acquired from the above in 1976 and thence by descent
Literature
Condition
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Catalogue Note
The work depicts the gruesome killing of Orpheus, a poet and musician gifted with the ability to charm even the most aggressive beasts with his lyre. As described by Carolyn Lanchner: “Masson’s increasing involvement with Greek myth is attested to by the titles of many of his paintings from 1932 to 1934—The Silenuses, Bacchanal, Daphne and Apollo, Orpheus, and The Horses of Diomedes. In 1933 and 1934 Masson tended to use bright, cleaner color, with the result that in certain canvases like Orpheus the ominous subject matter is secondary to—almost in conflict with—the extreme decorative quality of the painting. It is as if Masson were trying to convey the seductive beauty of the music of Orpheus’ lyre in the sweeping patterns of rose, red, green, blue, and purple” (Carolyn Lanchner, Andre Masson, New York, 1976, p. 136). An extraordinarily agile artist, Masson’s use of calligraphic lines and kaleidoscopic colors are put to powerful use in the present work.