15th Apr, 2025 10:00
Modern and Contemporary Art
17
▲ Peter Lanyon (1918-1964)
'Oarscape', 1962
inscribed and dated 'LANYON/OARSCAPE 1962' verso, found objects and oil paint on board
202.5cm wide
8cm deep
52cm high
Provenance: The estate of the artist;
the property of a private collector.
Exhibited: Gimpel Fils, London, 'Peter Lanyon, Reliefs, Constructions and Related Paintings', 20 May - 21 June 1975, cat no. 24;
Camden Arts Centre, London, 'Peter Lanyon: Air, Land and Sea', Arts Council touring exhibition, 6 November - 20 December 1992, cat no. 34, touring to:
Mead Gallery, Coventry, 11 January - 13 February 1993;
Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, 20 February - 18 April 1993;
Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance, 1 May - 13 June 1993;
Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, 'Porthmeor: A Peter Lanyon Mural Rediscovered', 24 October 2008 - 4 January 2009.
Literature: 'Peter Lanyon: Air, Land and Sea', published by the South Bank Centre, London, 1992, illustrated p.48.
Andrew Lanyon, 'Peter Lanyon', Andrew Lanyon and St Ives Printing and Publishing Company, Penzance, Cornwall, 1990, illustrated p.227;
Patrick Heron, Margaret Garlake, Martin Holman, Peter Lanyon, 'Peter Lanyon: Air, Land and Sea', South Bank Centre Publications, London, 1992, illustrated p.40;
Chris Stephens, 'Peter Lanyon: At the Edge of Landscape', published by 21 Publishing, London, 2000, p.167, illustration no. 97;
Toby Treves, 'Peter Lanyon: Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings and Three-Dimensional Works', Modern Art Press, St James's Place, London, 2018, no. 525, illustrated p.562.
'Oarscape', 1962, features a physical oar, which Lanyon painted and partially scraped to expose layers of black and white pigment, yielding a weathered appearance. This oar is affixed to a white laminate board, positioned next to a painted tile fragment and a piece of board, with the entire assembly resting on a larger rectangle painted in blue-grey, accented by hints of black and beige. This composition illustrates Lanyon's drive to incorporate 'real things' into his creative process, a notion he first articulated in a 1951 letter to William Scott, where he expressed his intention to create landscapes using objects like oars or even larger industrial machinery (William Scott Foundation Archive). While he approached this idea with a sense of humour, by the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had successfully realised this vision by constructing assemblages from items discovered along the Cornish coastline.
The long, thin format echoes 'Porthmeor Mural' and 'Porthleven' (lot 16) which Lanyon is likely to have been working on at the same time as 'Oarscape'. Lanyon's proposed orientation of the work is not known, we have shown the blade of the oar to the right as this is how it has been reproduced in the past. Photographs taken in 1958, show the oar leaning against the wall of his studio, although the shaft has subsequently been painted black by the artist. (Treves, 2018)
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Estimated at £20,000 - £30,000
Condition Report
Presents well overall. There are some brown spots and speckles on the white board on which the oar is mounted, and it is unclear if these are original. The green background paint has been thinly applied in places and there is a small white mark/ abrasion (?) in the upper left corner. Small knocks and chips to the edges of the boards which are believed to be original rather tham a later issue with condition. A little little light surface dust and dirt trapped behind the glazing at the bottom of the frame. Not viewed out of glazed frame. For a detailed report and additional images please contact the department.
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Auction: Modern and Contemporary Art, 15th Apr, 2025
Viewing
London Viewing | Highlights
A selection of lots will be on view Friday 14 March - Monday 7 April (weekdays only) at our London Gallery, 15 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ, as follows:
Monday-Friday, 11am - 6pm
For more information, please contact 0203 971 2500 | london@sworder.co.uk
Stansted Viewing | Auction
Viewing will be held at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE, as follows:
Friday 11 April, 10am - 4pm
Sunday 13 April, 10am - 1pm
Monday 14 April, 10am - 4pm
All lots are, however, extensively illustrated and carry detailed condition reports - see 'Condition report' at the foot of each lot description.
The auction will take place at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE.
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