JOHN WELLS | Disc and Circle

The Artist
Wills Lane Gallery, St Ives
Private Collection, from whom acquired by the present owner

St Ives, Tate St Ives, John Wells: The Fragile Cell, 2nd May - 1st November 1998, cat. no.9, illustrated p.26 (lent by the Artist).

The board appears stable, and has been laid down on to a secondary Artist's mount. The board is slightly bowed. The upper left corner is slightly rounded. There are small losses at the upper left corner, along the upper edge and in the lower parts of the left and right edges, with some minor lifting in the upper strata of the board. There are tiny further nicks and flecks of loss at places along the edges and in the corners. The board has been worked by the Artist and as such there are scratches in the surface of the work, these are in keeping with the Artist's intentions. There are possibly some fine vertical lines of cracking visible upon closer inspection. There is some minor surface dirt and studio matter throughout. This excepting the work appears to be in very good overall condition. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals no obvious signs of fluorescence or retouching. The work is float mounted within a simple wooden frame and held behind 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."

'So all around the moving air and the sea’s blue light, with points of a diamond, and the gorse incandescent beyond dark trees – countless rocks ragged or round of every colour – birds resting or flying, and the sense of a multitude of creatures living out of their minute lives …. All of this is just part of one’s life, and I want desperately to express it – not just what I see but what I feel about it and beyond it. If I paint what I see the result is deplorable. But how can one paint the warmth of the sun, the sound of the sea or the journey of a beetle across a rock or thoughts of one’s whence and whither?' (John Wells, in a letter to Sven Berlin, 1945)