Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Mid Century French Abstract Tree Expressionist Ink Wash Painting
Medium: Black ink and wash on paper, unframed
French, circa 1950's
Size: 25.75 inches x 19.75 (height x width)
Condition: The work is structurally sound though with visible creasing, surface rippling and age related toning throughout the sheet. There is light edge wear and handling marks consistent with storage. The ink and wash remain stable. This would benefit from professional flattening and framing.
Provenance: from a large collection in Paris
Description:
A striking mid-century French abstract expressionist ink painting on paper, executed in bold black gestural marks with a strong sense of movement and rhythm. The composition reads as a lively field of calligraphic brushwork, with sweeping strokes, broken textures, and clustered forms that suggest foliage, energy, or a landscape fragment without becoming literal. The confident use of black against the raw paper creates a dramatic, graphic impact, making this an ideal piece for modern interiors, particularly for collectors drawn to monochrome abstraction, post-war European modernism, and expressive works on paper.
In this particularly elegant example, the composition resolves clearly into a stylised tree form. A strong central trunk rises vertically from the lower edge, branching outward into sweeping limbs that extend across the upper half of the sheet. The addition of grey wash introduces tonal variation and a subtle sense of depth, softening certain areas while reinforcing the organic structure of the branches.
The upward movement of the limbs creates a sense of growth and vitality, while the spareness of the background allows the form to stand boldly against the natural tone of the paper. The work captures the essence of a winter tree or windswept branches through expressive, economical brushwork, aligning closely with the spirit of post-war French Art Informel and modernist landscape abstraction.
This fabulous mid century original French expressionist abstract tree painting...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Gastone Novelli Paintings
MaterialsPaper, Ink, Gouache
