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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOSEPHINE AND WALTER BUHL FORD II

1923-2002
ABSTRACT

35 3/4 by 28 1/2 in. 90.8 by 72.4 cm.

signed; signed on the reverse

oil on canvas

Executed circa 1950-52, this work is to be included in the forthcoming Jean-Paul Riopelle Catalogue Raisonné being prepared by Yseult Riopelle.

NOTE

Shortly after moving to Paris in 1947, Jean-Paul Riopelle took part in the last major group show of Surrealist Art, held at Galerie Maeght. At this significant exhibition, he met the young abstract painters of the Ecole de Paris including Nicolas de Staël, Georges Mathieu, Zao Wou-Ki and Maria Elena Vieira. Their influence on Riopelle was immediately evident as the young Quebecer's canvases matured from melancholic semi-abstractions to stirring compositions of remarkable power. Consequently, by 1949, Riopelle had been offered his first solo exhibition at the left bank gallery of Nina Dausset on the rue du Dragon.

The present piece dates from Riopelle's initial span of prodigious creativity, four years after moving to Paris, which witnessed his arrival on the art world map. The works of this period reached an expressive and physical depth theretofore unprecedented in the lexicon of art history. Utilizing dollops of paint squeezed directly from the tube, threads trailing along and criss-crossing the surface, Riopelle created an extraordinary dialogue between color, form, thought and texture. Between 1951 and 1954, Riopelle's visionary canvases were rewarded with exhibitions before an international audience at the São Paulo and Venice Biennales, as well as the Guggenheim International.

Untitled, 1950-1952, is a prime example of the deft handling of the painted surface which catapulted Riopelle to such extraordinary exposure. Stylistically similar to the Galerie nationale du Canada's Sans Titre from 1950 and the Museum Ludwig's Robe of Stars from 1952, the present piece anticipates Riopelles' later works by his utilization of the pallet knife. This remarkable adaptation invigorates the canvas and strikes a balance between the thick and thin line. The resulting frenetic character and earthy palate are evocative of the autumnal Canadian landscape Riopelle found so compelling.