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Lot Essay
The present and following lot were executed circa 2005 and were acquired by Les Trois Garçons shortly before the landmark exhibition of Wateridge’s work at the David Risley Gallery, London. Constitution is a work on a monumental scale reminiscent of 19th century grande Salon History painting and the meticulous layering of paint on perspex sheets lends the work an added perspectival depth into which the viewer is drawn. In this layered method, Wateridge concerned himself with offering a kind of painting relevant to the 21st century as opposed to merely referencing any historical mode of representation.
“I came upon this way of painting with oil on glass by accident. For me, to paint on canvas seemed to belong in the past, and really
couldn’t give me the theatrical quality I was seeking.”
To achieve these extraordinary and very beautiful effects is a time-intensive process. First, Wateridge handmakes exquisite models from which to work, such as crashed planes, a four-masted ship sitting at the bottom of the sea or the sinking of the battleship Missouri. A similar work on plexiglass sheets entitled Mountain Wreck sold, Phillips London, 14 February 2013, lot 16 (£109,250 incl.).
A plane wreck scene on canvas sold Christie’s London, 11 October 2012, lot 3 (£313,250 incl.).
“I came upon this way of painting with oil on glass by accident. For me, to paint on canvas seemed to belong in the past, and really
couldn’t give me the theatrical quality I was seeking.”
To achieve these extraordinary and very beautiful effects is a time-intensive process. First, Wateridge handmakes exquisite models from which to work, such as crashed planes, a four-masted ship sitting at the bottom of the sea or the sinking of the battleship Missouri. A similar work on plexiglass sheets entitled Mountain Wreck sold, Phillips London, 14 February 2013, lot 16 (£109,250 incl.).
A plane wreck scene on canvas sold Christie’s London, 11 October 2012, lot 3 (£313,250 incl.).