Pat Steir

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

New York, Robert Miller Gallery, Wind Water Stone, November 1997
Chicago, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Waterfall Paintings, January 2000
Toronto, Artcore Gallery, Lyrical Waterfalls: A Collection of Paintings, November - December 2000
New Orleans, Galerie Simonne Stern, Sweet Suite, May 2001
Rome, Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Moderna, Water and Air: Pat Steir Works from 1986 to 2003, July - October 2003
London, Lévy Gorvy, Pat Steir, November 2016

This work is in very good condition overall. There is light wear along the edges and at the corners of the canvas. Under close inspection there is evidence of some scattered, hairline pigment separation along the extreme edges and a few faint surface scuffs along the bottom left edge. This work was not examined under Ultraviolet light inspection. Unframed.
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.
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Pat Steir’s Smaller Yellow on Blue Waterfall is a breathtaking illustration of her emblematic series of Waterfall paintings. Executed in 1992, at the apex of her exploration into the emotive and expressive power of art, Smaller Yellow on Blue Waterfall’s ten feet of pure, unrestrained motion masterfully captures the kinetic fluidity of a rushing waterfall.

Drawing from ancient Asian technique as a source of inspiration, in particular the Yi-pin ‘ink-splashing' paintings from the 8th and 9th centuries, in the late 1980s, Steir began to loosely apply paint to unstretched canvas tacked onto the wall. By standing on a ladder to apply paint at the top of the canvas, she deliberately removes herself from the action and allows the paint to freely cascade down the length of the canvas, letting gravity determine the composition. In explaining her conscious choice of relinquishing control, Steir quotes the influence of the Minimalist composer John Cage: “I’ve always admired John Cage; his whole system involved chaos. I’m trying desperately to make chaos, but I make order. I try to make the chaos within the work; that’s why I depend on gravity to leave a lot of space for accident. For chaos” (Pat Steir in conversation with Anne Waldman in: "BOMB – Artists in Conversation," BOMB 83, 2003, online). Though eliciting the revolutionary dynamism of Jackson Pollock’s abstractions, Steir emphasizes the weight of paint rather than the action of the hand behind it. As such, Steir’s Waterfall paintings challenge the critical hegemony of Jackson Pollock's renowned drip paintings. Taking on the legacy of one of America’s greatest artists and movements, they are a bold riposte to the idea that the drip technique should stay consigned to history.