Paul Feiler

Cork Street Gallery, London, where acquired by Mrs Hetherington, 21st October 1968
Her sale, Bonhams London, 8th November 2007, lot 138

Not examined out of frame. The board appears to be stable. There is a small area of paint loss at the extreme lower left corner. There appear to be some light vertical scuffs at the lower right corner of the work and a diagonal scuff at the centre. In addition to these, there are some further scuffs scattered across the work which appear to be in keeping with the Artist's working method. On close examination, it is possible to see some fine lines of craquelure in the black pigment at the centre left of the composition. There is also a horizontal line running across the centre of the composition where the paint surface is uneven. There is surface dirt across the work, as well as, some scattered spots of surface matter. These are particularly prominent in the light grey pigment at the top of the composition and in the lower left quadrant. Subject to the above the work appears to be in very good overall condition, but would benefit from a light clean. Ultraviolet light reveals an uneven varnish and some small spots of fluorescence along the horizontal line of uneven paint at the centre of the composition. The work is presented in a painted wooden frame. 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."

Paul Feiler visited Cornwall for the first time in 1949 and four years later had decided to settle there permanently. Just as the mountains of Germany had fascinated him as a child, the drama of the Atlantic coastline of West Penwith, its light and landscape made a connection with Feiler that was to have a profound effect on the course of his painting. Like many of his fellow artists associated with St Ives, Feiler's interest was not in views but in creating a response to the experience of the landscape. Inspired by natural forms and drawing on external sources, his work during the early 1950s became increasingly abstract as he developed a means of rendering his environment in pictorial terms within a peculiarly Cornish palette of whites and blues, slate greys and bracken browns. In these early works, we also see Feiler beginning to explore the dichotomous concerns that have become a hallmark of his painting ever since - light against shadow, solids against fluids, geometric against organic forms, soft edges against sharp, the imagined against the real.

Feiler's paintings of the early Cornish period were first exhibited at the Redfern Gallery in 1953, the date of the present work, and were received to great acclaim with every work selling, including one to the Arts Council Collection.