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Michael Forster
Patterns and Reverberatons Abstraction

1988

About the Item

Patterns and reverberations in a celestial sense, this work can bring liveliness, movement and texture to a room. Its color palette is very attractive. Michael Forster was trailblazing and exploring different ways to depict the cosmos and nature in the broader sense and through a Surrealist lens. Influenced by important Latin American artists like Tamayo while he was in Mexico, Forster combined a Latin American color palette but approached the broad theme of life, nature and a world bigger than ourselves. In this piece, he uses vibrant colors and patterning that echoes itself across the canvas. The piece is signed on the verso and dated 1988. Not visible in our image as the back has a board covering the back. It is also from the estate of the artist and is pictured in the catalogue "Michael Forster" from 2013 done by Messums in England. It is plate 31, atelier no 628. Michael Forster is an artist with a unique and important place in the world of contemporary art that reaches beyond international borders. A frequent exhibitor with the major art societies already by the 1930’s with several of his paintings in the country’s major museum collections by the 1940’s, Forster was heavily influenced by celestial patterns in the space galaxies. Pre-dating the travels of the world’s astronauts, these works were inspired by the brilliant patterns found in space. Galvanized by the writings of the prominent German art historian Paul Wertheim Forster placed special emphasis on the supremacy of color in works such as in our Untitled work. Wertheim was once quoted as saying: Colour is the medium of his expression, he has reduced all that is visible, all that is imaginable to colour, a strange and fantastic world of visionary colour. By means of colour, he knows how to give form to a whole range of emotions and feelings. A proponent of early Surrealism Forster placed an emphasis on the unconscious life of the artist in his perceptive sensual application of paint. Forster’s further concern for the essence of paint itself led him to create mesmerizing surface textures that were deeply personal and filled with emotion. Relying intently on his intuition as an artist Forster once explained: I try to work in a state of open, receptive, mindlessness; to be alert to every hint, every direction that reveals itself in the course of the work” (MF, c. 1970) The floating forms in this picture bear a close resemblance to the works of his good friend Rufino Tamayo and also through the all-enveloping array of various hues. In this celestial landscape composition Forster has reduced all visible images to the fantastical world of color. This highly refined and extremely disciplined abstract work boasts luminous and vibrant passages that resonate across the canvas and create a luster that is illustrative of the glowing universe. This richness of color coupled with the artist’s dexterous handling of paint make our picture a truly spectacular example and place Forster as a stand-out amongst his contemporaries. Active in Canada for more than forty-five years, Forster contributed greatly to the development of Canadian that is only now receiving the attention it so richly deserves. This is framed in a fine high quality wide frame that is leafed. Illustration: Catalogue on Michael Forster from Messums in 2013 page , plate 31 Provenance: Estate of the Artist Messums, England
  • Creator:
    Michael Forster (1907 - 2002, Canadian)
  • Creation Year:
    1988
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 43 in (109.22 cm)Width: 52.5 in (133.35 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Very fine condition - no issues what so-ever. Frame has patina that is purposeful.
  • Gallery Location:
    Greenwich, CT
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 141401stDibs: LU1413210607062

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