Sean Scully

Galerie Lelong, Paris
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Paris, Galerie Lelong, Sean Scully: La Surface Peinte, May - July 2008, n.p., illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. Variations in the tonality of the painted surface are inherent to the medium and artist's working method. Otherwise, there are no apparent condition problems with this work. Framed.
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Maroon Pink White is an exceptional example of the recent advances Sean Scully's evocative and sensual technique has made over the span of his impressive career. Its geometrical composition and dense, sultry hues are grounded by multiple thick strokes of layered paint which deftly fuse in an impeccable manner. The end result is an ethereal yet emphatic spirit merely indicative of the pure talent of its creator. 

Scully draws from a kaleidoscope of art historical genres in his paintings; from the heavy palettes of the austere Spanish painters to the glossy rich textures of the Old Masters. There also resides a specific affinity to the works of the American Abstract Expressionists, in particular to the work of Mark Rothko. Scully was drawn to Rothko's melancholic affinity between light and darkness and his tangible weaving of color that revealed the layers beneath the surface of the canvas. In Maroon Pink White, Scully wrestles with the subject of transparency verses opacity; particularly on the aluminum support of the present painting. He combines the weighted swathes of black paint which act as the formal support to the lighter colored pigments. The brick forms are tightly interwoven which belies the featherlike application of paint that is at the cornerstone of Scully's aesthetic concerns that the brushstroke and the touch of the human hand would reveal the vulnerabilty of the artist. As such, there is a compelling idealism and romanticism in his paintings that reflect his desire to be purely immersed in the painting process. Although resolutely abstract, there remains an emotive content in Scully's paintings that undoubtedly resonates with the beholder.