Euan Uglow

Browse & Darby, London, where acquired by David Bowie

New York, Salander O'Reilly, Euan Uglow, 2nd - 31st December 1993, cat. no.13;
London, Browse & Darby, Five Protagonists, 20th April - 21st May 1994, cat. no.6.

Euan Uglow, Browse & Darby, London, 1998, illustrated, unpaginated;
Catherine Lampert, Euan Uglow: The Complete Paintings, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2007, cat. no.364, illustrated p.179.

The board appears sound. There are small flakes of loss to the upper part of the left edge and to the dark brown pigment in the lower right quadrant, and a further possible loss to the pink pigment in the centre of the upper edge, possibly in keeping with the Artist's technique. The are two very light and small scuffs in the upper and lower left corners. There are small scratches and pinholes throughout, in keeping with the Artist's technique. There is a light layer of surface dirt, with a few specks of studio detritus, to the work. Subject to the above, the work is in very good overall condition.Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals no obvious signs of restoration or retouching.The work is presented within a simple cream painted wood frame.Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

An exceptionally deliberate and meticulous painter, Euan Uglow had an unwavering commitment to painting his subjects from life. Figure studies would require hundreds of hours of sittings and, as Two Others Have Been There demonstrates by the discoloured marks left on the surface by an abandoned composition, decomposition was a concern of his still lives. The presence of such marks provides Uglow’s work with a conceptual quality which can also be felt in works such as Still Life with Model Marks, 1971-2, which the artist explained: 'I used to stare at this table for hours after the model had gone, looking at the marks of her feet and her bum, and then the marks that were around her torso and up at the top. It just used to look so beautiful. That seems to me one of the reasons to want to paint something' (the Artist, interview with Richard Kendall, Radio 3, 1991).

Uglow studied at the Camberwell School of Art from 1948, under former Euston Road School teachers William Coldstream, Victor Pasmore, Lawrence Gowing, John Minton and Kenneth Martin, but as a close protégé of Coldstream followed him to the Slade School of Art in 1951. Considered by David Sylvester to be ‘a true descendant’ of Chardin in regard to his still lives, Uglow was also indebted to Cézanne and the Cubists in his approach to space and plane but maintained a traditional painting technique which relied heavily on painstakingly precise chalk markings and measurements to which the vertical and horizontal markings on his work bear witness.

His studio in Turnchapel Mews was carefully arranged, with details recurring within his works: 'There’s a part of wall at the studio where I painted some blue into fairly wet plaster…It’s one of the best lights in the studio. I never want to change it.' (the Artist, quoted in Andrew Lambirth, 'A State of Emergency', Modern Painters, Summer 1993). This blue, visible in the top left of the present lot, was inspired by Giotto's frescoes at the Arena Chapel in Padua and is the same blue which had also inspired Matisse. The artist’s precision also extended to his supports, which would either be square or rectangular and conforming to either the golden section or proportions of exact root value, and would be framed himself.