Louis le Brocquy, H.R.H.A.

Private collection, Ireland, form whom purchased by the present owner c.1993

Original canvas. The work appears in very good overall condition with strong passages of impasto. Some occasional traces of surface dirt. Under ultraviolet light there is possibly a minor spot of retouching next to a raise spot of impasto near centre of right edge. Held under glass in a pale washed wood composite frame; unexamined out of frame.
"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."

The present work belongs to the series of white 'Presences' that le Brocquy explored in the late 1950s, moving on from his grey paintings of isolated families earlier in the decade. The single figures emerging from the canvas - employing a daringly white on white technique - are a continuation of the artist's preoccupation with the human condition. Here the surface is concentrated with heavy pigment in the centre of the composition, hinting at a tangible figure which nevertheless remains fragile and ethereal. Herbert Read, the great critic of the age, saw in these bold paintings how le Brocquy was developing a serious and profound direction in his work: 'he is a painter of the inner world of feeling has become most curiously original'.