Lot 859
Breon O'Casey (British, 1928-2011), "Fish I", acrylic on paper, signed and dated 2003 recto, titled in ink verso, 25cm x 4cm, within a silvered frame. Provenance: Yew Tree Gallery, Penzance. Note: Fish rank among Breon O'Casey's most enduring and evocative motifs, providing an ideal vehicle through which to explore rhythm, balance and simplified geometric form. Inspired by the maritime landscape and fishing culture of St Ives, these archetypal subjects recur throughout his oeuvre, reflecting his lifelong fascination with reducing natural forms to their essential visual elements. One of the most versatile artists associated with the St Ives School, O'Casey worked as a painter, printmaker, sculptor, weaver and jeweller. The son of the playwright Sean O'Casey, he settled in St Ives in 1959, where he worked alongside Barbara Hepworth and Denis Mitchell and became part of the town's remarkable post-war artistic community. Drawing upon ancient and non-Western art as well as the Cornish landscape, O'Casey developed a highly personal abstract language that united craftsmanship with poetic simplicity.  £800-1200