Lot 65
PETER HOWSON O.B.E. (SCOTTISH B.1958) §
THE SUBLIME AND THE RIDICULOUS
£32,000
Auction: 18 March 2015 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Signed and dated '89, oil on canvas
Dimensions
244cm x 214cm (96.5in x 84.25in)
Footnote
Note: Peter Howson's distinctive characters and strong, figurative style are instantly recognisable. His depictions of a violent, working-class, predominantly masculine Glasgow world are favoured by celebrity collectors such as Madonna, Mick Jagger and David Bowie and have featured on a range of album covers for bands including The Beautiful South.
Howson trained at Glasgow School of Art, painting alongside other popular contemporary artists; Adrian Wiszniewski, Steven Campbell and Ken Currie. Recognised for his commitment to war painting through his role of British official war artist for the 1993 Bosnian Civil War for the Imperial War Museum and then official war painter at the Kosovo War for the London Times. The public recognition of Howson's work was cemented on his appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009.
'Figure by the Sea' dates from 1987, relatively early in Howson's career and before his key war painting assignments. The composition is dominated by the burly, boxer figure that recurs throughout his oeuvre but as opposed to later works here the figure is positioned in a rural sea-side location, highlighted in bright, colourful tones. This location re-appears in a range of large-scale works in oil that Howson created in this year including 'The Sisters of Mercy' and 'Flag of Despair.' Still quintessentially Howson in its technique and character, the brighter, rural backdrop is a welcome tonic to his predominantly gritty, urban locations and speaks of a very particular moment in his career.
Howson trained at Glasgow School of Art, painting alongside other popular contemporary artists; Adrian Wiszniewski, Steven Campbell and Ken Currie. Recognised for his commitment to war painting through his role of British official war artist for the 1993 Bosnian Civil War for the Imperial War Museum and then official war painter at the Kosovo War for the London Times. The public recognition of Howson's work was cemented on his appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009.
'Figure by the Sea' dates from 1987, relatively early in Howson's career and before his key war painting assignments. The composition is dominated by the burly, boxer figure that recurs throughout his oeuvre but as opposed to later works here the figure is positioned in a rural sea-side location, highlighted in bright, colourful tones. This location re-appears in a range of large-scale works in oil that Howson created in this year including 'The Sisters of Mercy' and 'Flag of Despair.' Still quintessentially Howson in its technique and character, the brighter, rural backdrop is a welcome tonic to his predominantly gritty, urban locations and speaks of a very particular moment in his career.
