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Lot Essay
In 1955, William Scott reverted dramatically to still life compositions, away from the three year period of near abstraction which preceded it. He began by painting a number of small compositions with pears and saucepans as the key elements. Norbert Lynton discusses this important series, 'Generally they are close-ups, presenting us with a few relatively large objects - not at all the swarming, anonymous things we see in his larger paintings of 1956-7. Yet naturalism is not the aim, but rather a tighter, more integrated kind of composition ... Boldly brushed-in black outlines establish the presence of these objects in a tight, up front arrangement in whites and greys with a hint of orange. The pear becomes an assertive presence pressed up against the saucepan' (see N. Lynton, William Scott, London, 2004, p. 147).
A few years afterwards in his British Council lecture in 1958 the artist commented on another work in this series, Composition I: Pots and Pears (1955), 'The pots and pears in this picture have certain shapes that have come about very slowly through the years, they've evolved from my earlier paintings. Perhaps they are very fundamental shapes. Some people may feel there's some kind of erotic feel about them. If that's so, it's probably due to my love for the primitive and for the elemental' (ibid., p. 148).
A few years afterwards in his British Council lecture in 1958 the artist commented on another work in this series, Composition I: Pots and Pears (1955), 'The pots and pears in this picture have certain shapes that have come about very slowly through the years, they've evolved from my earlier paintings. Perhaps they are very fundamental shapes. Some people may feel there's some kind of erotic feel about them. If that's so, it's probably due to my love for the primitive and for the elemental' (ibid., p. 148).