IKON I - CRUCIFIXION , c.1951
Oil on gold ground on panel. 18 x 9½in. (46 x 24 cm.)
Signed, inscribed with the title and dated c.1954 on the reverse.
Provenance
Sotheby’s studio sale, London, 24th April 1985, lot 555. Illustrated in b/w in the catalogue.
Exhibited
Holland, 1951, no. 13.
London, RBA Galleries, 1951, no. 191.
Cambridge, Heffer Gallery, 1953, no. 22.
Newlyn, Newlyn Art Gallery, 1961, No. 25.
With only one minor variation in composition (but a large difference in size), this work is identical to Crucifixion (c.1953).
The forms that make up these images have certainly been chosen for their symbolic associations. The circle is a symbol of the sun, heaven, perfection and God himself. The square is a symbol of the four elements. When presented together they may symbolise the elimination of imperfection and the achievement of Oneness.