3rd Nov, 2019 10:00
Modern & Contemporary Art
35
Maud Sumner (South Africa 1902-1985)
Portrait of a woman with tiger lilies
oil on canvas
Signature details: signed bottom left
Sold for R216,220
Estimated at R100,000 - R150,000
oil on canvas
Signature details: signed bottom left
(1)
77 x 50 cm
Notes:
This is one of Maud Sumner’s most striking portraits. The woman sits confidently gazing directly at the artist, her features painted with an honesty and empathy that hints at the complex emotions of the sitter. The bold patterning of the decorative cloths wrapped diagonally across her breasts evoke African designs as much as arousing associations with the lively rhythms of a Miró.Strong contrasts in the exuberant orange tiger lilies that burst from the bouquet, and the golden oriole of her headscarf that serves almost as a halo, are set against intense blues in such a way that these complementary colours vibrate to animate the painting’s surface. Given its associations with the Virgin Mary, the abundance of blue elevates this woman, imbuing her with a glorious but calm spirituality.At Oxford University from 1922, Sumner studied English and French literature, obtaining her MA before relocating to Paris in 1929. Here she shared a home in the Rue Boulard with expatriate Spanish painter, Maria Blanchard, an address where artists who were pivotal to the development of pre-Second World War art including Matisse, Severini and Claudel, were regular visitors. The influence of French modernism is evident in this sympathetic portrait.
Emma Bedford
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Auction: Modern & Contemporary Art, 3rd Nov, 2019
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