Patrick Heron

The Artist, by whom gifted to J.P. Hodin
Offer Waterman & Co., London
Sale, Christie's London, 6th June 2008, lot 98, where acquired by the present owner

Not viewed out of the frame. Original canvas. The canvas appears sound. There is some very slight rubbing around the edges of the canvas in places. There are one or two extremely fine lines of craquelure apparent to the blue pigment in the lower left corner, only visible upon very close inspection. There are some spots of light surface dirt, primarily apparent in the upper right corner and to the green pigment in the upper left quadrant. Subject to the above, the work appears to be in very good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals several very small flecks of retouching, visible in the ochre pigment in the lower left corner, the light blue pigment to the right of this, and also to the pink pigment above. The work is float mounted and housed in a painted wooden frame, held under glass. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 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 Estate of Patrick Heron is preparing the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the Artist's work and would like to hear from owners of any works by Patrick Heron, so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue. Please write to The Estate of Patrick Heron, c/o Modern & Post-War British Art, Sotheby's, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, W1A 2AA, or email at ModBrit@sothebys.com.

‘[In] all good visual art, however representational, what primarily and most immediately affects us is an underlying harmony of form and colour, a visual music of which the component notes and phrases are indeed abstract. It is by the very different quality of their underlying abstract rhythms, rather than by differences of subject, that we distinguish the great painters, one from another…The kind of abstract rhythm which permeates a Cézanne still life is determined precisely by the kind of still-life objects it occurred to Cézanne to paint. Thus we see that true abstraction is not something imposed on the objects of external reality: it is an essence precipitated by that reality- something abstracted from it.’ (Patrick Heron, ‘London-Paris,’ New Statesman and Nation, 25^th March 1950, reproduced in Vivien Knight (ed.), Patrick Heron, John Taylor in association with Lund Humphries, London, 1988, p.23)

Still life with Hyacinths, Plaice and Lemon was painted at a pivotal moment in Heron’s career as an artist. Entranced by the works of Cézanne from an early age he began to foster his fine art skills, but his burgeoning painting aspirations were severely disrupted by the Second World War, as were the careers of so many other artists’ of the time. He moved to St Ives at the outset of the conflict and worked in agriculture and briefly in Bernard Leach’s pottery studio, opting out of service as a contentious objector. In 1946, the year the present work was painted, Heron married his wife Delia, and they returned to London where he was finally able to devote himself fully to his career as a painter.

During this period, Heron was at the forefront amongst his artistic peers in Britain in his fervent interest in all that was coming out of the Continent, and many of his works of the late 1940s and 1950s certainly betray the influence of the French masters. Still life with Hyacinths, Plaice and Lemon’s warm vibrant colours, wandering lines incised into the wet oil, and fresh, fluid handling of the paint, are particularly reminiscent of the still lifes of Bonnard. Heron was also a great devotee of Braque, Matisse and Picasso, and in 1946 he visited an exhibition at the Tate of Braque's work, greatly admiring the painter's ability to create space and depth with planes of pure colour. He visited Braque's studio in 1949 and encountered first-hand his magisterial Atelier interiors which deeply impressed him, in particular the idea of the 'transparency' of objects through continuous and overlapping lines. It was also an opportunity to look closely at the work of Derain and Vlaminck, and these experiences reveal the French flavour of his works from this period, especially in his use of colour.