Dale Williams

"Wading Woman", drawing, ink, portrait

1994

Natasha Wright's art probes the politics of representation of the female form. Gender, sexuality, vulnerability and power, seduction and aggression - th...

TRANSFIGURATION is a new watercolor on Fabriano paper by Fleur Thesmar. The artwork measures 30x22", and is a structured composition in tones of green, blue, umber, rose and teal. Bordering on abstraction and figuration, a landscape of trees and water and sky appears to open up symmetrically, possibly revealing a spirit. From Fleur Thesmar – "Inspired by a mathematical model, I painted this abstraction which slowly took on the form of a person. The shivering brushstrokes create a textured relief, while the person seems to emerge from and recede into the background." Having moved her family from France to America, artist Fleur Thesmar closely observed the changes in her world – from the seemingly obvious such as surrounding landscapes, the light of day and weather, the flowers, trees and shorelines – to the smaller less obvious shifts, such as how one behaves in a new world, in a new home, how one cherishes certain belongings and certain memories. Her artistic practice is borne out of that close observation and shift in perspective, and has led to a number of successful gallery shows in the U.S. and internationally. Fleur Thesmar has shown at Beacon Gallery in Boston MA, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn NY, Old West Museum, Cheyenne WY, Belmont Art Gallery, Belmont MA...

The painting and the preparatory drawing are offered together. Provenance Private collection, Germany, Trier, c. 1980- 2013 Saint John the Baptist Brown ink and wash over red chalk on oatmeal paper 31 x 20.5 cm Inscribed: „Ferrau Fenzonio da Faenza invt. esque … imp. da Fran. Villamena …“. bears the collector's mark of Henry Scipio Reitlinger (1882-1950; Lugt 2274a) on a tiny label glued to the verso On the reverse is a partial drawing of a Pieta, pricked for transfer. Provenance New York, Doyle, 14. October 2015, No. 6 The painting and the preparatory drawing resemble the composition of an engraving after Ferraù Fenzoni by Francesco Villamena. Drawing, engraving and painting are almost identical, except for minor differences. Even the measurements nearly correspond: painting (32 x 25,5 cm), drawing (30 x 20,5 cm), engraving (31,1 x 23,5 cm). Dr. Guiseppe Scavizzi confirmed the attribution of the present panting to Fenzoni and he dates it to c. 1590. The inscription on the drawing reads “Ferrau Fenzonio da Faenza invt. esque. . . imp. da Fran: Villamena . . .”. The engraving’s inscription also lists place and date “Ferra Fensionius inventor/F. Villamoena sculpsit Rome/Aspectu fruitur… antra puer/cum Privilegio… 1613”. Interestingly, the engraving is not mirrored as it is in most printing processes. Painting, drawing and engraving are not reversed but the same. It is remarkable to note that there are further paintings by Fenzoni which were engraved in the same order and not reverted. They also show strong parallels regarding the compositions and the measurements (see for example “Deposition of Christ” ). Ferraù Fenzoni was an Italian painter mainly active in Todi. He is also called Il Faenzone after his birthplace (Faenza). He apprenticed in Rome during the papacy of Gregory XIII and contributed to numerous fresco cycles under pope Sixtus V, such as the Loggia della Benedizioni in the Lateran Palace, the frescoes on the walls and vaults of the Scala Santa of the adjacent Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, and the decoration in the Sistine library. His expressive canvases straddle the styles of Mannerism and Baroque. In 1594, he moved to Todi. A “Last Judgement” by him is housed in the cathedral of Todi. He returned to Faenza in 1599, where he decorated chapels in the cathedral from 1612 to 1616. In 1622, he completed a “Deposition”, now in the local Pinacoteca. In 1640, Fenzoni was named “cavaliere dello speron d’oro” by Cardinal Colonna and, on 25th April 1634, he was nominated vicar and “castellano of Granarolo”. Fenzoni‘s style is characterized by a mixture of the Mannerism of the Northern Netherlands and the Italian Baroque. Saint John the Baptist, Old Master, 17th Century, By Fenzoni, Religious Scene, Rome Art...

LESZEK RÓZGA (1924-2015) He studied painting at Maria Skarbek-Kruszewska private atelier in 1945-46. In 1948, he began studies at the art school in Łódź (later: Academy of Fine Arts)...