Patrick Scott

The Artist's Estate

Both original canvases. Some minor losses to the areas of gold leaf and the surfaces of both a little dirty; otherwise they appear in good overall condition. No signs of retouching under ultraviolet light. Unframed.
"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."

'A circle is the symbol of fulfilment.' (Patrick Scott, studio note)

The present work is a rarely known piece, emerging on the market for the first time. It dates to 1965-66, and spent much of its life hung in Patrick Scott’s studio. It was in 1964 that Scott began his celebrated Goldpainting series, developing compositions from simple arrangements of forms, usually discs or grids, towards more complicated configurations. Among his contemporaries in Ireland Scott was a singular pioneer of the new minimalist strain in abstraction, countering the previously dominant style of Abstract Expressionism. The simplified and meditative aesthetic of these works shows an innate sympathy for the East. Although he did not visit Japan or China until the 1980s, his original interest was guided by his friendship with the American painter Morris Graves, who lived in Ireland in the 1950s and introduced him to Japanese painting, and the work of Mark Tobey. Scott denied any spiritual dimension to his work, but they emphatically possess a contemplative and affirmative quality. 

When asked about the lack of titles for the Goldpaintings Scott replied, ‘what would a title do but give rise to a thought.’ Such a response directly refers to Scott’s Zen practise of expressing the void and allowing the painting to be whatever the viewer experienced of themselves and for themselves.