This lot consists of an oil painting on canvas, done in the abstract style of modern artist Robert Burns Motherwell (American, 1915 - 1991). "RM" is hand written in lower right corner along with the date "61". Image depicts an abstract painting of black splotches on a white canvas. The paint is applied in a way as to generate a sense of slow, solemnly suggestive movement. Elegies painting is rendered in the modern style for which Motherwell is so well know. This abstract masterpiece would be a great addition to any modern art collectors' gallery. Unframed piece measures 13.25" x 18.5".

Affixed en verso is a paper label which reads "Museum of Fort Worth" "Robert Motherwell".

Motherwell decided to become a serious artist only in 1941. Although he was especially influenced by the Surrealist artists; Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, and Andre Masson; he remained largely self-taught. His early work followed no single style, but already contained motifs from which much of his later art grew. He received his first one-man show in 1944 at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery in New York City. In the mid-1940s, Motherwell painted abstract figurative works that showed the influence of Surrealism. But in 1949 he painted the first in a series of works collectively entitled "Elegy to the Spanish Republic." He painted almost 150 versions of these "Elegies" in the next three decades. These Abstract Expressionist paintings show his continuous development of a limited repertory of simple, serene, and massive forms that are applied in black paint to the picture plane in such a way that they generate a sense of slow, solemnly suggestive movement.

PROVENANCE:
Private Collection

DIMENSIONS:
Unframed piece measures 13.25" x 18.5".

Finger Lakes Estate and Auction Company has been commissioned to liquidate several private collections of fine art. The pieces in this auction came from established collectors both in the United States and Europe.

Lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past auction record are described in the catalog as "in the style of". Authentication has not been established nor is it implied. Definition of "in the style of" is as follows:

In the style of [Artist Name]: The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

Please use photos as part of the description. The absence of condition report does not guarantee excellent condition. Please contact us for an in-hand evaluation or for additional photos.

Canvas and paint are in over very good condition. Some age-related discoloration. Canvas is loosely stretched to a wooden frame. Overall image and signature are vibrant, bold and show very well.