Alex Katz

Marlborough Gallery, New York
Michael Kohn, Los Angeles
Christie's, New York, 10 November 1993, Lot 236
Marlborough Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the figure's skin tone is more pink in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals some small and unobtrusive media accretions in isolated places, and a small drip mark the figure's collar. Further close inspection reveals three small and unobtrusive rub marks in places to the white, and three small areas of hairline cracks; one towards the upper right corner, one underneath the figure's chin, and one towards the centre of the figure's face. There is a small surface irregularity to the canvas, towards the lower left corner. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultraviolet light.
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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."

“Pop art deals with signs, while my work deals with symbols. Pop art is cynical and ironic. My work is not. Those are big differences. Pop art is modern. My work is traditional.”

ALEX KATZ

interviewed by David Salle, in Alex Katz: Unfamiliar Images, Milan 2002, p. 16


Rendered in bold colours with a signature flatness, Ursula on White is a classic example of Alex Katz’ idiosyncratic aesthetic. Emanating from the canvas is a cool yet mysterious female silhouette, whose depiction is characterised by the elimination of high-level surface detail and the subtle play of light and shadow that make for a wonderfully surreal composition. Typical of the artist’s work, the shallow spatial plane and sharp cropping device paired with the apparent inexpressivity owe much to the crisp manner of commercial art and illustration with further inspiration drawn from film, advertising and fashion.

Prefiguring a renewed interest in realist painting, Alex Katz developed his figurative style alongside the pop artists. Like his contemporaries, he had a strong interest in the vernacular language of popular culture which translated into his paintings. Much in the way Andy Warhol transformed a Campbell’s soup can into an instantly recognisable symbol, Katz transforms his circle of family and friends into visually arresting icons. However, the way in which Alex Katz uses contemporary culture is in many ways opposed to Pop art - as he explains: “Pop art deals with signs, while my work deals with symbols. Pop art is cynical and ironic. My work is not. Those are big differences. Pop art is modern. My work is traditional” (“Alex Katz Interviewed by David Salle,” in Alex Katz: Unfamiliar Images, Milan 2002, p. 16).

Although notions of identity and expression are discernible, Katz does not aim to represent the sitter; rather the artist presents a more profound reflection on the nature of representation and the perception of images. The peculiarities of figuration and portraiture are central to Katz’s understanding of art, which references venerable art-historical traditions. Ursula on White is indicative of Baroque portraits, Florentine Renaissance profile portraits and hieratic Egyptian heads – a revival of an aesthetic from a bygone era.

Unclassifiable and never persuasively subsumed under any one style, Katz has avoided affiliation with any group or movement throughout his long and distinguished career - yet has become one of the most recognisable artists of our time. Capturing his instantly recognisably visual language on a large scale, Ursula on White is an excellent example of the artist’s iconic oeuvre, as well as a visually powerful and seductive image in its own right.