Wayne Thiebaud

Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco
Private Collection (acquired from the above)
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. There is very light evidence of handling along the edges. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
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The bold sculptural form and brilliant colors of Wayne Thiebaud's Dark Peppermint Lollipop reinforces the artist’s immediacy of painterly touch and his intense contemplative study and rendering of nostalgic symbols of American life. Isolating one scrumptious subject at a time, his paintings of pies, cakes, lollipops, and ice cream cones offer investigations of formal and structural compositions. He has wedded his realist subjects with a brilliant eye for abstraction, carefully controlling every element of this intricate arrangement to give an overall sense of balance and weight. Having worked briefly as an advertising designer and a cartoonist, Thiebaud employed the clarity and graphic power demanded of his former occupations.

His portrayals of mass-produced consumer products were initially associated with the emerging Pop movement, however his paintings did not challenge the medium of paint like other Pop contemporaries. He cohesively tied the gestural brushwork of the Abstract Expressionists with the refined structure and realism of commercial and Pop art. Keepings his backgrounds simple and focusing on the texture of his subjects, Thiebaud’s paint layers whip off the canvas, creating a visual bounty for viewers. This attention to detail and technique set his work apart from other Pop artists who strove to remove all signs of their hand in the creation process. Silkscreens and stencils dominated their canvases, yet Thiebaud continued to master the manipulation of paint.

With the present lot, this bold sculptural form appears decisively balanced and isolated within a minimalistic open space. The opulence of Thiebaud’s swirling and luscious brushstrokes are central to the tangible rendering of his iconic sweets. The artist’s oil paints are transformed into the material presence and texture of the lollipop–and even the red and white straw. In addition to a thickly loaded brush, Thiebaud further defines mass and space with dramatic raking light that displays his acute sensitivity towards the beauty of illumination and shadow. Combined with the serenely poised composition, the accentuated cast shadows give the lollipop an uncanny density and presence. The present work brilliantly displays Thiebaud’s ingenious manipulation of intense colors including variations of periwinkle blues, chalky whites and dense reds, which resonate before the viewer. The juxtaposition of warm and cool tones which follow the contours and lines of the composition creates the effect of halation—a signature technique utilized throughout the artist’s career.