Lot 857
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (British, 1912-2004), "Nocturne", oil on paper laid onto board, signed and dated 1961 recto, titled, further dated 1962 and inscribed with artist's address verso, 25.5cm x 34cm, within a painted wood frame. Provenance: Alan Wheatley Art; David Lay, 30th July 2009. Christie's 25th July 1996, lot no.346. Note: During the 1950s, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham developed an increasingly abstract visual language rooted in close observation of the natural world, progressively reducing landscape to a disciplined vocabulary of geometric form. By the early 1960s she had largely abandoned direct references to landscape, embarking upon a sustained exploration of abstract compositions based on the rhythmic arrangement of squares and circles. Executed during this pivotal period, "Nocturne" belongs to a significant series of works produced between 1960 and 1965 in which Barns-Graham experimented with repeated square forms, often applied using a wooden block or similar implement to create a stamped, rhythmic surface. The careful proportional division of the picture plane, a recurring concern throughout her mature career, is already evident here. Closely related compositions include Time Present and Different (1962; Aberdeen Art Gallery), Dancing Squares (1962-63), In the Wind's Eye (1964) and Cluster (1963), all of which explore the dynamic interplay of repetition, balance and spatial rhythm that characterises this important phase of the artist's oeuvre.  £2000-3000