Sean Scully
Grey Red
2012

About the Item

"Grey Red" is an oil painting on aluminum by Sean Scully. It is signed verso, " Gray Red, Sean Scully 1 12". The frame of reference for Irish American Sean Scully’s signature blocks and stripes is vast. From Malevich’s central premise that geometry can provide the means for universal understanding to Rothko’s impassioned approach to color and rendering of the dramatic sublime, Scully learned how to condense the splendor of the natural world into simple modes of color, light, and composition. Born in Dublin in 1945 and London-raised, Scully was well-schooled in figurative drawing when he decided to catch the spirit of his lodestar, Henri Matisse, by visiting Morocco in 1969. He was captivated by the dazzling tessellated mosaics and richly dyed fabrics and began to paint grids and stipes of color. Subsequent adventures provided further inspiration as the play of intense light on the reflective surfaces of Mayan ruins and the ancient slabs of stone at Stonehenge brought the sensation of light, space, and geometric movement to Scully’s paintings. The ability to trace the impact of Scully’s travels throughout his paintings reaffirms the value of abstract art as a touchstone for real-life experience. Painted in rich, deep hues and layered, nuanced surfaces, Grey Red is both poetic and full of muscular formalism. Scully appropriately refers to these elemental forms as ‘bricks,’ suggesting the formal calculations of an architect. As he explained, “these relationships that I see in the street doorways, in windows between buildings, and in the traces of structures that were once full of life, I take for my work. I use these colors and forms and put them together in a way that perhaps reminds you of something, though you’re not sure of that” (David Carrier, Sean Scully, 2004, pg. 98). His approach is organic, less formulaic; intuitive painter’s choices are layering one color upon another so that contrasting hues and colors vibrate with subliminal energy. Diebenkorn comes to mind in his pursuit of radiant light. But here, the radiant bands of terracotta red, gray, taupe, and black of Grey Red resonate with deep, smoldering energy and evoke far more affecting passion than you would think it could impart. As his good friend, Bono wrote, “Sean approaches the canvas like a kickboxer, a plasterer, a builder. The quality of painting screams of a life being lived.” Provenance: Timothy Taylor, London, England Private Collection Private Collection, London, England Phillips (London, England), October 5, 2016: "20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale," Lot 8 Private Collection, 2016, acquired from the above Exhibition: Royal Academy of Arts (London, England), "The 244th Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition," June 4 - August 12, 2012. Included in the exhibition catalogue, no. 847 The Verey Gallery (Windsor, England), "Sean Scully," October 3, 2012 - February 28, 2013 Literature: Zweite, Armin, "Sean Scully: Paintings and Works on Paper," (Munich, Germany: Galerie Bernd Klüser, 1993), page 7 Carrier, David, "Sean Scully," (London, England: Thames & Hudson, 2006), page 98 O'Sullivan, Marc, "Sean Scully: Figure/Abstract," (Ostfildern, Germany: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2014), page 7

Creator:
Sean Scully (1945, American)
Creation Year:
2012
Dimensions:
Height: 85 in (215.9 cm)Width: 75 in (190.5 cm)
Medium:
Oil
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
21st Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Palm Desert, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: 413941stDibs: LU9310576532
View Invoice