PAT STEIR | Wave After Courbet (Eye of the Storm)

Khiva Gallery, San Francisco 
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1987

This work is in very good condition overall. The canvas is strip lined and there is minor fraying in the lower left corner, inherent to the lining. Upon close inspection, there is evidence of stable hairline craquelure with associated minor losses in areas of heavy impasto, most noticeable along the lower left edge and 6 in. from the bottom edge. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
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.
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Extending over seven feet high and 14 feet in length, the monumental expanse of Pat Steir’s Wave After Courbet (Eye of the Storm) envelops the viewer in a torrent of pigment that evinces the artist’s virtuosic and performative painterly facture. Her canvas, infusing Western and Eastern sensibilities, references both the wave paintings of Gustave Courbet and the famed woodblock prints of Hokusai. Created in 1986, a seminal moment in Steir’s career as she began to experiment with the pouring technique that would characterize her signature Waterfall paintings, the present work is an early and transitional example of the artist’s esteemed oeuvre. The impressive scale of Wave After Courbet reflects Steir’s early investigations into painting as performance. At the time of this work’s conception, she was experimenting with the maximal degree of her arm’s gesture; using the full span and power of her body, Steir sweeps the paint across the surface in circular motions, allowing force and gravity to create the splashes and drips that define its texture. This process would ultimately lead to her renowned pouring technique, demonstrating her masterful understanding of the physicality of her revered medium: paint.