Sixty Works by Modern Masters - Flipbook - Page 89
Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle
Canadian, 1923 - 2002
Sans Titre, circa 1956
Oil on canvas
15 x 18 inches / 38 x 46 cm
Jean-Paul Riopelle began his artistic
career in the 1940s as one of a
group of Quebecois artists known
as Les Automatistes. Their works
were largely based on the theory of
Surrealist automatism that was most
famously taken up by the Dadaists,
and which advocated following the
power of the subconscious in the
production of writing, art and music.
Riopelle’s impulsive approach to
painting in his early years remained
a part of his practice, and on moving
to Paris in 1949 the artist furthered
his career by cultivating for himself
the image of a ‘wild Canadian.’ The
present work, completed around
1956, is an excellent example of
Riopelle’s signature expressionist
style, in which he applies soft
squares of colour to the canvas in flat
planes with a palette knife, creating
abstract compositions with deep
impasto.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by
the father of the previous owner
Thence by descent
This painting is accompanied by a certificate
of authentication kindly issued by Madame
Yseult Riopelle and will be included in the
next addendum to the Catalogue raisonné de
L’oeuvre de Jean-Paul Riopelle
"When I hesitate, I do not paint.
When I paint, I do not hesitate."
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