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Lot Essay
Bomberg’s career can be characterised by the places he travelled to, continually seeking inspiration from the colour and form of these varied landscapes. In April 1923, David Bomberg first travelled abroad to Palestine on a funded place by the Keren Hayesod and the Palestine Foundation. Overcome by the quality of the light and colour found in the old city, especially compared to London and the aftermath of the First World War, Bomberg wrote how ‘I was a poor boy from the East End and I’d never seen sunlight before’ (the artist, quoted in S. MacDougall and R. Dickson, Bomberg, London, 2017, p. 104). Taken with the landscape, the artist moved away from the human subject, solely focusing upon the city and the surrounding area. Upon his arrival, he met Sir Ronald Storrs, Military Governor of Jerusalem, who invited Bomberg to Petra, accompanied by a military escort.
Upon Bomberg’s first visit to the expansive rock-cut architecture, Bomberg felt overwhelmed by the scale of the area that offered little variation in colour or structure. Six months after his first visit, Storrs convinced Bomberg to return and it was during this period that the artist developed a new approach that lent itself to the expansive landscapes of pink sandstone. Rock Façade, Petra, Afternoon was painted upon this fruitful second trip which encapsulates the soft colours of the ‘Rose City’. When first viewing the present work, without a skyline, the work is characterised by the overwhelming impact of orange-pink hues. However, as Bomberg described himself, the subtlety of the painting is found within the slight variation in colour that effectively captures the ancient architecture, carved out of sandstone. Reflecting in 1928 upon his time in Petra, he described the city like ‘a ruddy, earthenware pottery tint, seen as a whole, but showing the crimson on closer inspection’ (‘Petra Duologue between Mr. David Bomberg and Mrs. Steuart Erskine’, unpublished script of proposed talk for BBC Radio, 1928, quoted in R. Cork, David Bomberg, New Haven and London, 1987, p. 158). This effect is furthered captured by the brushstrokes that invite little distinction between architecture and rock, the ‘lustrous, small-scale experiments executed in colour with fluid brushstroke’ (S. MacDougall and R. Dickson, Bomberg, London, 2017, p. 111).
The present work captures the north-east wall of the city, where colour gives a greater sense of the experience of place over expansive visual detail. Throughout his career, Bomberg suggested that the his work should capture ‘the spirit of the mass’, recording not only the physical appearance of the landscape but also capturing his subject’s response to the places in which he painted. During his time in Petra, his subjective approach appears centred in his delight in the colour and light of the sandstone city. In the changing light of the evening sun, looking up at the ancient architecture carved into the pink stone walls, Rock Façade, Petra, Afternoon captures with a wonderful sensitivity his experience painting outdoors, an approach to painting the landscape that stayed with the artist throughout his career.
Upon Bomberg’s first visit to the expansive rock-cut architecture, Bomberg felt overwhelmed by the scale of the area that offered little variation in colour or structure. Six months after his first visit, Storrs convinced Bomberg to return and it was during this period that the artist developed a new approach that lent itself to the expansive landscapes of pink sandstone. Rock Façade, Petra, Afternoon was painted upon this fruitful second trip which encapsulates the soft colours of the ‘Rose City’. When first viewing the present work, without a skyline, the work is characterised by the overwhelming impact of orange-pink hues. However, as Bomberg described himself, the subtlety of the painting is found within the slight variation in colour that effectively captures the ancient architecture, carved out of sandstone. Reflecting in 1928 upon his time in Petra, he described the city like ‘a ruddy, earthenware pottery tint, seen as a whole, but showing the crimson on closer inspection’ (‘Petra Duologue between Mr. David Bomberg and Mrs. Steuart Erskine’, unpublished script of proposed talk for BBC Radio, 1928, quoted in R. Cork, David Bomberg, New Haven and London, 1987, p. 158). This effect is furthered captured by the brushstrokes that invite little distinction between architecture and rock, the ‘lustrous, small-scale experiments executed in colour with fluid brushstroke’ (S. MacDougall and R. Dickson, Bomberg, London, 2017, p. 111).
The present work captures the north-east wall of the city, where colour gives a greater sense of the experience of place over expansive visual detail. Throughout his career, Bomberg suggested that the his work should capture ‘the spirit of the mass’, recording not only the physical appearance of the landscape but also capturing his subject’s response to the places in which he painted. During his time in Petra, his subjective approach appears centred in his delight in the colour and light of the sandstone city. In the changing light of the evening sun, looking up at the ancient architecture carved into the pink stone walls, Rock Façade, Petra, Afternoon captures with a wonderful sensitivity his experience painting outdoors, an approach to painting the landscape that stayed with the artist throughout his career.