Leon Kossoff

Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London

Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1993

James Hyman Gallery, London, where acquired from a Private Collection

London, Anthony d'Offay, Leon Kossoff Drawings 1985 - 1992, 4 February - 6 March 1993, no. 11, illustrated in exh. cat., with tour to L.A. Louver Gallery, L.A.

James Hyman, 'Leon Kossoff', Modern Painters, Spring 1993, illustrated p.96

Leon Kossoff is very much an artist who is intimately connected to London. As he has noted, ‘I was born in a now demolished building in City Road not far from St Pauls. Ever since the age of twelve I have drawn and painted London. I have worked from Bethnal Green, the City, Willesden Junction, York Way and Dalston. I have painted its bomb sites, building sites, excavations, railways and recently a children’s swimming pool in Willesden.’ (Leon Kossoff, ‘Preface’ in Leon Kossoff: Recent Paintings and Drawings, exh. cat., Fischer Fine Art, London, 1974, p. 5.)

In the present work, which takes Willesden Green as its subject, Kossoff captures with graceful ease the two trains which appear to be speeding past the viewer. Kossoff draws with unmistakable energy and the charcoal and pastel has been applied here with vigour, adding to the dynamism of the composition. The scene appears to be early evening, the carriages of the trains aglow with light and the traces of a sunset still visible, depicted in warm tones of peach and orange.

Kossoff has drawn on art historical precedents in his work and the dynamism of the present work brings to mind Turner's iconic Rain, Steam and Speed of 1844. However, Kossoff is an artist with a distinct visual language all his own, and his depiction of each subject that consumes him never fails to leave an impressive impact on the viewer.