The Terminus

细节

Conroy Maddox (1912-2005)
The Terminus
signed and dated 'CONROY MADDOX/'78' (lower right) and inscribed and dated again 'THE TERMINUS/1978' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
24 x 34 in. (61.6 x 86.4 cm.)

注意事项

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.

拍品专文

Railway stations were a recurring theme in Maddox's depictions of the urban landscape. In them he saw the potential for chance encounters and inexplicable dramas of surrealism. But, whilst distancing himself from the mundane, Maddox never portrayed fantasies. His scenes were always grounded in commonplace urban reality. This fastidiously painted railway terminus building, beside overhead electrified cables and merging railway tracks is likely to be a real place. But, it appears disused in the normal sense. There are no hurrying passengers or waiting taxis. Instead, it is the setting for an ambiguous and paradoxical drama: a strong-man flexes his muscles, while a solitary, melancholy woman stares from an upper window, oblivious of the display of virility.

We are very grateful to Silvano Levy for his assistance in cataloguing the present lot.