ALBERTO MORROCCO R.S.A., R.S.W., R.P., R.G.I., L.L.D. (SCOTTISH 1917-1998) §
THE SICILIAN CART
£12,000
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: 10 December 2015 at 18:00 GMT
Description
Signed, oil on board
Dimensions
56cm x 85cm (22in x 33.5in)
Footnote
Provenance: Collection of Roy and Mairi Rankin.
Note: This painting is one of a group of four works by Alberto Morrocco offered which showcase his talent as a colourist, as well as his ability to structure a painting and build a strong composition. All four paintings offered (lots 80-83), though varying in their vibrancy of colour, demonstrate a strong commitment to its bold use, and the importance to Morrocco of complementary colour pairings. They also show his ongoing commitment to flattened form and simplified perspective.
The mood of Morrocco's works is celebratory; he regularly worked from sketches decades after the fact, allowing his colour to be guided by a sense of mood and memory, rather than nature. The vibrant colour that he developed into as he aged, seems to suggest happy memories and a strongly optimistic outlook, full of delight.
Morrocco travelled regularly and was vividly inspired by the birthplace of his parents and ancestors, Italy. Inspiration also came from the work from other painters Bonnard, Picasso and Braque and much earlier Italian artworks, with their emphasis on disciplined drawing and simplified colour. The inspiration of Picasso is particularly evident in the striking 'Three Sisters of Lucca,' (lot 81) in the simplified, almost abstracted, facial features of the three women. This, combined with the bold colour and simplified composition, shows a clear development from this earlier piece, 'The Sicilian Cart;' a busier composition and more naturalistic approach, with textured surface and less bold colour.
Literature: Victoria Keller and Clara Young, Alberto Morrocco, 1993, p.37, Pl.31