Patrick Heron

Bertha Shafer Gallery, New York
Waddington Galleries, London
Maurice Cooke
His sale, Sotheby's London, 23rd June 1999, lot 111
Waddington Galleries, London, where acquired by the present owner

London, Waddington Galleries, Patrick Heron, 22nd November - 17th December 1960, cat. no.14;
Manchester, Manchester City Art Gallery, Middle Roads: Four British Abstract Painters: Adrian Heath, Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton, Bryan Wynter, June - July 1961, cat. no.15;
Norwich, Castle Museum, Exhibition of Contemporary Painting, 7th - 31st December 1961, cat. no.9;
New York, Bertha Shafer Gallery, Patrick Heron: New Oils, 2nd - 21st April 1962, cat. no.13;
London, Rutland Gallery, Patrick Heron: Paintings 1958-1996, 6th - 31st May 1975, cat. no.5.

The following report has been kindly prepared with the assistance of Hamish Dewar, of Hamish Dewar Ltd,13 & 14 Mason's Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. The canvas is unlined and is securely attached to what certainly appears to be the original keyed wooden stretcher. This is providing a stable structural support. The canvas is slightly slack and requires retensioning. There is an inscription in the upper right quadrant of the composition as viewed from the reverse, and a further inscription on the upper horizontal stretcher bar, and there are some exhibition labels adhered to the reverse of the stretcher. The paint surface appears to have the artist's original unvarnished surface. There is an area of what appears to be blooming within the dark blue form in the upper left quadrant of the composition, and some further blooming in the upper right quadrant of the composition. There are a few very small glossy retouchings slightly visible in natural light in the upper right quadrant of the composition. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows scattered retouchings, the most significant of which are: 1) one small retouching towards the lower part of the right vertical framing edge and a small broken diagonal line of inpainting to the left of this, 2) a thin diagonal line of retouching towards the centre of the turquoise form in the lower right quadrant of the composition, 3) a vertical line of tiny spots of retouching above the centre of the upper edge of the turquoise form, 4) a thin diagonal line of retouching towards the lower left corner, 5) a horizontal line of tiny spots of retouching just below the centre of the upper horizontal framing edge, and a small spot of retouching below and to the left of this, 6) a few small spots of retouching within the dark blue form in the upper left quadrant of the composition. The painting would therefore appear to be in a very good stable condition and requires retensioning. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Amongst the many remarkable features of Heron's career was his ability to continually develop and renew his paintings so that each appears both fresh and adventurous. Throughout the 1950s, discernible groupings of work had succeeded each other, and by the very end of the decade, paintings such as Yellow Painting: October 1958 -May/June 1959 (Tate, London) and Yellow Painting with Orange and Brown - Ochre Squares: June - Oct 1959 (Private Collection) had achieved a complexity and richness that constantly amaze. However, Heron's work rarely settles at any point, and as 1959 progressed into the new decade, the paintings began to become simpler again, with reduced numbers of forms, and little overpainting and re-working. Initially this happened through one colour becoming dominant and steadily encroaching upon the others, as in Black Painting - Red, Brown, Olive: July 1959 (Private Collection), which was awarded that year's Grand Prize at the John Moores Exhibition. As the numbers of forms lessened, so the layering of colours also diminished, and by the early 1960s, we can see the introduction of different handling techniques that came to characterise his work from the 1960s and 1970s.

The simplification of the picture plane, and the gradual shifting of the forms away towards the edges of the canvas allowed Heron to use large areas of colour to set the tone of the painting, and in some works, as here in Blue Painting: August 1960, this is taken even further by drawing all the colour from within a single range. Limiting himself in this way ensured that the weight of the forms was not overwhelmed by the contrast of the colours, rather that the differing tones worked together to define and place the forms within the picture plane.

As the decade progressed Heron would reintroduce stronger and more contrasting colours, and explore the points at which these colours met, but in Blue Painting: August 1960 we see Heron working at a point where he relishes the challenge of bringing together a purity of intention and imagination using only restricted means.

The Patrick Heron Estate is preparing the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the Artist's work and would like to hear from owners of any work by Patrick Heron so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue.  Please write to Susanna Heron, c/o Sotheby's Modern & Post-War British Art, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, W1A 2AA.