Lot Essay
A published art critic well-informed in philosophy, Fairfield Porter’s artworks are known for their unaffected, spontaneous quality. Inspired by both the intimate, representational paintings of French artists like Édouard Vuillard, as well as Willem de Kooning’s Abstract Expressionism, he developed his own signature style combining concrete local detail with overall abstraction. Porter particularly admired the fearless, unapologetic artistic spirit of his friend and mentor de Kooning and liked to recount the time an audience member at a Museum of Modern Art lecture asked, “Mr. de Kooning, how can we persuade the American public that they need art?” and de Kooning responded, “They don’t need art. What the artist should do is to assert himself.” (as quoted in J.T. Spike, Fairfield Porter: An American Classic, New York, 1992, p. 83)
Plane Tree in October exemplifies the sense of spontaneity imbued in the best of Porter's work. Here, he paints a scene in Southampton on Long Island, where he moved with his family in 1949, and the artist's familiarity and tenderness toward the surrounding environment are made clear in this large canvas. The sweeping brushwork and bright palette contribute a sense of life and energy to the composition. Indeed, as Alfred Corn observes, "A Plane Tree in October...reveals how close to the explosive brushwork of abstraction Porter could push, in accordance with his statement 'Tidiness is inadequate formality.'" ("Fairfield Porter—Hirschl & Adler," ArtNews, January 1993, p. 132).
Plane Tree in October was notably Porter's debut work in the Whitney annual.
Plane Tree in October exemplifies the sense of spontaneity imbued in the best of Porter's work. Here, he paints a scene in Southampton on Long Island, where he moved with his family in 1949, and the artist's familiarity and tenderness toward the surrounding environment are made clear in this large canvas. The sweeping brushwork and bright palette contribute a sense of life and energy to the composition. Indeed, as Alfred Corn observes, "A Plane Tree in October...reveals how close to the explosive brushwork of abstraction Porter could push, in accordance with his statement 'Tidiness is inadequate formality.'" ("Fairfield Porter—Hirschl & Adler," ArtNews, January 1993, p. 132).
Plane Tree in October was notably Porter's debut work in the Whitney annual.