Paul Feiler

Redfern Gallery, London
Private Collection

The canvas is in good original condition. There are some infrequently scattered lines of craquelure in all four quadrants but otherwise the paint surface is wonderfully thick with impasto and in good overall condition. There is no sign of retouching under ultra-violet light. Held under glass and against a white backboard within a simple painted composition frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 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."

The vibrant abstraction Feiler developed during the 1950s evolved in the next decade to focus less directly on the forms and experiences of the surrounding landscape. By the mid 1960s, the date of the present work, he had distilled the fluidly gestural handling of works such as Priest's Cove, Winter (1953, lot 87) into the architectonic shapes and interlocking forms of the present work.  Inspired by the shapes and structures of his own studio furniture; the easels, stretchers and studio mirrors (see fig.1), his style takes on a more mathematical and geometric focus and is reminiscent of Frantisek Kupka's dynamic visual language developed during the early decades of the 20th Century. In addition, the cooler and more subtle tones of the present work which provide a strong contrast to the brighter hues of his work from the 1950s, are prophetic of the stylized geometry that became a trademark of his work during the 1970s (see for example lot 91).

By 1965, the year the present work was begun, Feiler had also been made Head of Painting at the West of England College of Art (later part of Bristol Polytechnic) and alongside two solo exhibitions in the early 1960s as the Grosvenor Gallery, he was widely recognized as one of the most eminent post war abstract artists working in Britain.