ALCOVE, 1946
Oil on board. 9 x 13½in. (22.9 x 34.3cm.)
Provenance
Burstow, Hewett, Battle, Sussex, 15th December 2004 as ‘abstract shell study’, lot 51, with one other work.
Red Raven Arts, London.
Exhibited
London, Mayor Gallery, 1947, (paintings) No. 13.
The setting for this decalcomania resembles a cave, or tent, where folded labia-like curtains, part to reveal an event that is theatrical, ritualistic and sexual. Organic, chrysalis-like forms writhe and intertwine on a raised surface that could be a stage or altar. The forms are locked in an embrace – but is it a loving embrace or a death hold?