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• Auction House:
  Webb's
• Sale Name:
  Important Paintings and Contemporary Art
• Sale Date:
  06 Dec 2011 ~ 6.30pm (NZ Time)
• Lot #:
  25
• Lot Description:
  Peter Siddell
  Peter Siddell – Western Balcony Siddell has said that he could never paint a place where he has not himself lived. Perhaps this is because,
  acrylic on board
  960mm x 1200mm
  signed Peter Siddell and dated 1979 in brushpoint lower right
• References:
  Siddell, Peter and Michael Dunn. The Art of Peter Siddell. Godwit/Random House, Auckland, 2011, p.131.
• Notes:
  Peter Siddell - Western Balcony Siddell has said that he could never paint a place where he has not himself lived. Perhaps this is because, rather than simply transcribing or reproducing a single view from a single vantage point, Siddell paints the essence of a place. The landscapes that he paints are arranged in his head, carefully constructed from pieces of reality that are familiar to him. Peter Siddell's Auckland is a serene place where urban sprawl is dictated by a governing order. Western Balcony was painted at the height of the artist's career, at a time when a perfect balance had been struck between his painterly tendencies. Here, we experience the full force of his uncompromising brushwork of the 1980s; autogenetic and yet deeply human, it has been allowed to take on a life of its own in this large-format work. Further, we are graced with the subtle hues and finely balanced colouration that would be a keystone of the artist's practice thereafter. Like a blanket of tiny timber constructions, he has pictured houses running almost right to the edge of the shoreline. It is a gesture that gives the work a distinctly New Zealand feel, implying the narrowness of the land on which Auckland was built at the same time as giving the work a slightly foreboding quality. Much in the same way that the works of Charles Goldie are a snapshot into our nation's past, implying a great deal more than they depict, Siddell's paintings continue to gain currency long after they were painted. The word 'suburbia' now brings with it a raft of connotations and, in Western Balcony, the proximity of the houses to the shoreline highlights the vulnerability of Siddell's wonderland. The main focal point of the painting - the house in the foreground - prompts the viewer to continually re-evaluate its presence. On one hand, it offers itself completely; four out of five windows are transparent and allow the viewer to see right into the home, revealing a series of typical Siddell tableaux such as an exposed timber hallway with a view to the outside world and neatly arranged living areas with modestly sized pictures on the walls. However, the title - Western Balcony - draws the viewer to the French door on the upper left-hand side of the house where the glass holds an opaque glare; while its presence is not wholly sinister, one cannot help but wonder whether it contains some unknown potential. A close examination reveals the reflection to be that of a cloudy sky framed by the arch of the underside of the awning in front. As with elsewhere in Siddell's practice, we see both overt religious symbols and less-obvious allusions to religious practice. In this work, the highest point in the roof is that at the top of a steeple-like pinnacle and attached to the awning are two upward pointing spires. One imagines that it was not Siddell's intention to paint the house at the end of the street with an uneasy air or, further, a haunted presence. Rather, any disquieting power that the building has can be attributed to the themes with which the work engages. While Siddell has both directly and indirectly canvassed the concept of religion in his work, his aim has never been to promote or condemn any such practice. His works are not about the evils of man but, rather, his aspirations. Siddell could not have come from more humble origins. He was the son of a 'wharfie' who worked on the Auckland docks and he himself left school at the age of 16 to become an apprentice electrician. In the memoir from his recently published book, The Art of Peter Siddell, he stated that even though his father could barely read, one of the few books that the family owned was a Bible. If there is anything that Siddell's works do promote then it must certainly be the importance of ritual and its significance in the lives of the unseen population which inhabits the vistas of his mind. CHARLES NINOW
• Estimate:
  NZ$80,000 - 120,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.