Lot Essay
In 1972, Claudio Bravo left Spain, moved to Tangier, and recluded himself to a monk's life. He became tired of painting high-society portraits and the social life that followed. Putting his wordly successes aside, he began to work on his still lifes, landscapes, and from time to time, on human figures which helped realize his personal dreams. Interior In the Summer (1975) is a perfect example of this period in Tangier.
The elements in this particular room in Bravo's house are repeated throughout his work. The painting above the reader is The Lamb (1972), one of the first Bravo did when he arrived in Tangier. The chair fits beautifully in the space in front of the window with views to the sea, and it again becomes a theme for Le Corbusier Chair (1977). A similar painting, Lingam (1975), depicts the same room with a hustler who comes into the scene interrupting the reader. The reader lays back contemplating the Mediterranean unaware that he is being watched, a trick that Bravo employs making a voyeur of the spectator.
__________________________________________
E.J. Sullivan, Claudio Bravo, 1985, Rizzoli International
Publications Inc. p. 15 (illustrated in color)
The elements in this particular room in Bravo's house are repeated throughout his work. The painting above the reader is The Lamb (1972), one of the first Bravo did when he arrived in Tangier. The chair fits beautifully in the space in front of the window with views to the sea, and it again becomes a theme for Le Corbusier Chair (1977). A similar painting, Lingam (1975), depicts the same room with a hustler who comes into the scene interrupting the reader. The reader lays back contemplating the Mediterranean unaware that he is being watched, a trick that Bravo employs making a voyeur of the spectator.
__________________________________________
E.J. Sullivan, Claudio Bravo, 1985, Rizzoli International
Publications Inc. p. 15 (illustrated in color)