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53
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Verne DAWSON Cycle of quarter-days observances, circa 23800 …
See original version (French)
53
-
Verne DAWSON Cycle of quarter-days observances, circa 23800 …
See original version (French)
Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Verne DAWSON
Cycle of quarter-days observances, circa 23800 b.c. Burial in Autumn" - 2001
Oil on canvas
208.6 x 245.3 cm
Oil on canvas
82.51 x 96.57 in.
Provenance: Karma, New York
Private collection, Paris
FR
Once upon a time, an artist was fascinated by fairy tales and folklore, Stone Age archaeology, astronomy, the zodiac, the Bible, numerology, calendars and the measurement of time. Just as oral history is passed down from generation to generation, his representation of these myths and symbols was intended to perpetuate them as he perceived them. He practised painting, an art form that has almost disappeared - his tools were wooden sticks adorned with animal hair - and even imagined his ideal studio as a cave in the Dordogne. Cave painting. His style was often wrongly described as 'faux naïve', whereas 'self-taught' was more accurate.
Dawson also explored the oft-repeated theme of the four seasons, but he saw them less in connection with the changing colours of foliage than with the personification of each season: Father Christmas in winter; April Fool in spring; the Green Man, a pagan figure similar to Pan, in summer; and Dracula in autumn. There are three versions of this series, the largest canvases being collectively entitled "Cycle des célébrations des quarts de jour, circa 23800 BC", 2001. (This date refers to the cave paintings at Lascaux; Dawson is painting scenes from the time of the earliest known paintings).
EN
Once upon a time there was an artist fascinated by fairy tales and folklore, Stone Age archaeology, astronomy, the zodiac, the Bible, numerology, calendars, and the marking of time. Just as oral history relies on the passing of stories from one generation to the next, his rendering of these myths and markers was intended to keep them alive in our time, as he believed they in fact were. He practised the near-obsolete craft of painting-his instruments wooden sticks with animal hair at the ends-and even imagined his ideal studio as a cave in the Dordogne region of France. Cave painting. His style was frequently and mistakenly described as "faux-naif," when "self-taught" was closer to the truth.
Dawson has also explored that well-trampled genre, the four seasons, though he thinks of them in ways that have less to do with the changing colours of foliage than with each season's personification: Santa for winter; the April Fool in spring; the green man, a Pan-like, pagan figure as summer; and Dracula for fall. There are three versions of this series, with the larger paintings collectively titled "Cycle of quarter-days observances, circa 23800 b.c.," 2001. (The date refers to the cave paintings in Lascaux; Dawson thus paints scenes from the time of the earliest paintings in recorded history).
Verne DAWSON
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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