§ SANDRA BLOW R.A. (BRITISH 1925-2006) QUARTET IN YELLOW - 2006 Etching and aquatint with collage, T/P, aside from an edition of 20, signed and editioned in pencil to margin (23cm x 27cm (9in x 10.75), unframed) A trailblazer of 1950s abstraction, British painter Sandra Blow provided an undisputed contribution to the development of post-modernist painting in post-war Britain. Her characteristically large scale, colourful collages were mostly produced using discarded non-art materials. Drawing attention due to this unusual usage of abstract mediums, notably sawdust, sackcloth and plaster, Blow’s unique manner grew her popularity swiftly within the art world. While travelling Europe her experimentation was encouraged by artists such as partner Alberto Burri, from who Blow adopted this idea of incorporating atypical materials, experimenting with the raw sensuality of such forms. Blow’s most influential paintings were produced during the latter half of the 20th century, where her practice took clear inspiration from time spent between Italy and Cornwall. Working in a process led and intuitive way, she became known as a pioneer of the use of dynamic perspective, a technique which grew in concurrent popularity with abstract expressionism. Coupling dynamic and geometric forms, her awareness of perspective gave the works a tactile, energetic feel. Using multi-dimensional materials in partnership with paint her artistic concerns stretched to the consideration of proportion and tension.