Dimensions: support: 407 x 510 x 20 mm frame: 572 x 675 x 66 mm
Copyright: © Angela Verren Taunt 2014. All rights reserved, DACS | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This artwork, titled 1934-6, is a still life painting by Ben Nicholson, housed at the Tate. I'm struck by the muted colors and the way the shapes seem to both recede and come forward. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Nicholson's work reflects a key shift in the public perception of art, moving towards abstraction. It's important to consider the socio-political landscape of the 1930s. How do you think the rise of abstraction might have been perceived by the public, given the need for propaganda and accessible art? Editor: I hadn't considered that. Maybe abstraction was seen as elitist or detached from the pressing social issues? Curator: Precisely. Nicholson's piece challenges the expectation of clear representation, asking viewers to engage with form and color in a new way. It reflects a growing interest in the formal elements of art. Something to reflect on.
Comments
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/nicholson-1934-6-painting-still-life-t07007
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
Nicholson began this painting a year after Jean Hélion invited him to join the important international group Abstraction-Création, based in Paris. Despite the group’s emphasis on pure abstraction, Nicholson developed a hybrid style of figuration and abstraction. This picture is an example of his successful integration of representational and abstract elements in his work. Although there are indications of a handle, goblet, mug and plate, these areas also read as flat geometric shapes. Gallery label, September 2004
CollectMore like this
