Peter Lanyon

Catherine Viviano Gallery, New York, where acquired by the present owner in the late 1960s

New York, Catherine Viviano Gallery, 1962, cat. no.10, illustrated on the cover of the catalogue;
San Antonio, Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, 1963. 

Andrew Causey, Peter Lanyon, Andrew Ellis Publishing Ltd, Henley-on-Thames, 1971, cat. no.152, p.62.

The following report was compiled by Paintings Conservator, Stuart Sanderson: The painting appears to be in a fragile condition, with the paint showing signs of lifting from the canvas. A previous treatment of flooding soft wax to the back of the canvas has probably failed to consolidate the flaking paint adequately. There are a few retouched fillings evident, but despite its fragile condition the paint film has suffered very little loss. There is a noticeable raised crack pattern in the central white form, and in a small area this has been slightly flattened. There is also in this area some uneven and warm discolouration of the paint layer. This may be a natural discolouration of the paint layer, or possibly a bleeding through of the underlying burnt sienna underpaint. This discolouration is evident to a lesser degree elsewhere on the painting, but is most obvious in this part of the composition. I would recommend that the soft wax is removed, and the painting properly impregnated to ensure that the paint is securely attached to the canvas. As part of the structural treatment we would try and improve the area of raised crack. After this treatment I would improve the retouching of the few fillings and possibly reduce the effect of the worst of the discolouration. A second report has been compiled by the Conservator, Philip Young: CONDITION In examination under normal and ultra violet light it is apparent that the paint surface is mainly intact; there is little paint loss and only small areas of inpainting or restoration. There are widespread cracks in the paint surface, mostly related to the use and application of the paint and such cracking is occasionally seen on works by the artist. In some works the cracks are flat and stable, here there is a mixture of stable cracks with some sharply lifting networks of cracking and surface disruption. Either as a precaution to holding in tropical or unstable conditions, or as a reaction to the cracking and general condition of the painting, the back of the canvas has been saturated with a wax or wax-resin mixture (at first sight it appears to be wax only) with a heavy general residue of wax on the canvas and around the tacking edges. It is possible that the paint was also consolidated with wax, subsequently cleaned back, as there is no apparent heavy wax deposit on the paint surface. If the treatment was to consolidate and hold the cracks down, it has clearly been unsuccessful as the cracks show little sign of consolidation or stabilisation. TREATMENT Heavy wax impregnation is laborious to remove and some residue always remains in the canvas even after intensive and prolonged removal, this would still darken the back. Ideally, in any treatment the wax would be reduced significantly and the cracks consolidated to flatten and stabilise. This would involve work from the front and the back, and as the back is now permanently wax-impregnated and visually changed permanently, a lining may be considered as there has already been interference at the back and the appearance would actually improve on this side, while ensuring that successful consolidation is carried out as part of the lining process at the front. Alternatively, the wax can be removed as far as possible then the front treated without lining. This would perhaps not be as successful as a full lining. CONCLUSIONS The back of the canvas has had extensive treatment which has not addressed the main problem. There would be little difference in this case in carrying out a different treatment to the back (that perhaps would not normally be considered) to address the main problem. The above would be subject to further examination and testing. For further information including approximate quotes please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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Lanyon's connection with the landscape and weather of Cornwall was given greater abstract power when he began gliding in 1959 'to get a more complete knowledge of the landscape'. In a tape recording made in 1962 with Lionel Muskin, Lanyon commented, 'I have always been concerned with painting weather. I can't rationalise what the weather does to me. I don't know what it is. It probably creates a sort of excitement in me which will allow me to paint things, and very often images come through which I don't recognise for years after they are painted. It is impossible for me to make a painting which has no reference to the very powerful environment in which I live. I have to refer back continually to what is under my feet, to what is over my back and to what I see in front of me.'

Lanyon's experience of being in the air enhanced his original interpretation of visual material and the title of the present painting, Cloud, places the focus on meteorological phenomena as opposed to land-mass or seascape. And yet the forms and composition of Cloud clearly recall another painting completed in 1961, Beach Girl, in which Lanyon experiments with the relationship of the figure to the land and seascape. 

The influence of American Abstract Expressionism and in particular the Tate Gallery's 1956 exhibition, Modern Art in the United States, was also undeniably significant for Lanyon and can be gauged from the expressive appearance of Cloud. Lanyon visited New York in 1957 for an exhibition at the Catherine Viviano Gallery and whilst in the city took the opportunity to make contact with influential artists such as Motherwell, Gottlieb, Rothko and de Kooning, and critics and curators such as Clement Greenberg and Dore Ashton.