JUDIT REIGL | Ecriture en masse

Private Collection, France (acquired directly from the artist in 1965)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

The composition was executed on a canvas mounted on the stretcher using nails. The stretcher was made by the artist who also mounted the canvas herself. The traces of white paint on the reverse of the canvas and the fact that the edge have been cut suggests this canvas was originally painted for a different-size stretcher. The paint layers were adjusted as visible in the lower edge and right edge. Furthermore, the white areas have also been altered by the artist: the tint of the added white paint is slightly different, and is also present both on the canvas and the stretcher. On the front of the stretcher, the white paint covers the previous stretcher marks. One can also note the black layers of paint were applied using a trowel contain little oily binding agent, which is why they are matte and present cracks. However, they do not present uplifts, which leads us to conclude they are inherent to the artist's choice of technique. The white and black paint layers also presents cracks but no structural problems. The work is lined with a white stripe stapled along the edge. The surface is clean and there is no evidence of any uplifts. To conclude, this work is in good condition.
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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."

Painting is positioned through masses on a canvas. I bought a material normally used by masons, a ground black pigment that dries slowly, in depth, over the span of years, which meant that I was always working on six or eight paintings at a time. Starting from a white background, I put clumps of paint on the canvas using a flexible and rounded blade, or, sometimes, a simple wooden stick, "raising" them up from the bottom to the top of the canvas, covering the lighter colours underneath with this black pigment. I could tell immediately whether it was successful or a failure, in which case, there was no way of correcting it.
Judit Reigl