Items Similar to Large Scale Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 'At the Watering Hole'.
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 21
Derek CarruthersLarge Scale Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 'At the Watering Hole'.
About the Item
Large late 20th century oil on canvas of animals at the watering hole by British artist Derek Carruthers. Signed to the bottom right.
A magical, highly colourful and energetic painting of animals at the watering hole. A gorgeous composition in which Carruthers draws us into the centre of the painting by placing the beautifully rendered animals in a circle. We are invited into the scene and yet the subtle composition technique of a diagonal squaring off gives a three dimensional or 'quilted' effect which also divides us from the subject giving the impression of the faint presence of a fence crisscrossing the picture.
As always Carruthers loves to make us reflect and presents images in juxtaposition.
Here the animals are beautifully coloured and robust and yet the watering hole is too small for the number of animals. The dark sky in the distance is ominous and although could be seen as bringing much needed rain, the dead trees tell a different story.
Colour abounds and strong shapes give the painting a magical energy whilst at the same time there is a softness to the brushstrokes that offer up a dreamlike quality reminding us that this is a fantasy world. A magical painting to engage the eye over and over.
Derek Carruthers was an artist who persisted in asking questions. His whole career was inspired by the determination to enquire into the nature of art, examine its purpose, and attempt to explore that place where the individual life of the mind meets the external appearance of the world where personal sensation rubs up against cultural assumptions. Not surprisingly, Carruthers explored, over the years, a language of pure form, abstract space, 2 and 3 dimensions, narrative and concept, personal and universal figuration. Looking back, over decades of work, however, each of these voices is pursuing a coherent set of questions, reflecting on the stuff of human experience. Carrthuers’ individual pieces can intrigue and charm, they can be warm and poetic and they can also offer gritty resistance to the easy gaze. They can challenge us to think about ourselves, our environment, our expectations, our place in the world.
Carruthers grew up in the north-west of England having been born in Penrith, and one of his earliest memories of what art might be was formed by his encounter with the extraordinary creations of Kurt Schwitters. The latter had fled Germany in 1937, after his art had been labelled ‘degenerate’. He stayed, first, in Norway and then arrived in Britain in 1940. Carruthers had already encountered Schwitters' work as a boy, and had been launched on his own life-long examination of the nature of art.
Carruthers was further inspired by Victor Pasmore and Hamilton (British Constructivists) who were working closely together at King’s College London and eventually offered a challenging course to all first year students. Thus, Carruthers – who was at King’s in 1953 to 1957 was encouraged to take a rigorous approach to probing abstraction, spatial relationships, and the interlinking of art and architecture.
Having had the good fortune to have been an art student at such a time and in such a place, it is not surprising that Carruthers embarked on a voyage of artistic discovery. He showed his works with the major touring exhibition, organised by the Arts Council, in 1963, ‘Construction England’, together with Pasmore and Mary and Kenneth Martin. His work was also included in exhibitions of new art at the Drian Galleries, Porchester Place, in 1963 to 1965. Reflecting the more recent re-examination of post-War, British Constructivism, Carruthers’ work was also included in the 1992 show, ‘British Abstract Art of the 50s and 60s’, held at the Belgrave Gallery. This early work, in which solid or relief forms change their nature as they – or the viewers – move through space and time, deliberately challenges the human tendency to find comfort in regarding the world as fixed and knowable.
In these years, too, Carruthers taught at Sunderland and Leicester Colleges of Art, before moving to lead the Fine Art course, as a Professor, at Trent Polytechnic (now the Nottingham Trent University). He was a dedicated educator, leaving to pursue his own art, full time, only in the mid 1980s.
Inspired, perhaps, by this freedom, the 1980s saw Carruthers exploring new ideas. He turned from working in 3-dimensions, or collage and relief, and rediscovered the power of traditional materials, oil and watercolour, on canvas and paper. He moved away from Non-Objectivity towards a practice which explored both abstracted and figurative imagery. Throughout, he remained preoccupied with exploring the human condition: by this trite remark, we mean that he continued to question how each individual experiences the world; he explored the ways in which human beings create totems to make their mark, as if to claim immortality; he tries to, ‘symbolise the triangular relationship between humankind and religion and the art / architecture which it inspires’. Hence - as well as warm glimpses of holidays and home life - his work yields the Egyptian pyramid, the Graeco-Roman heroic figure, the Christian monument; and, ultimately, the ‘sexless, ageless, raceless anonymity’ of the artist’s lay figure.
‘I was given an antique artist’s lay figure and acquired several smaller faceless wooden lay figures. I knew Man Ray’s “Mr. and Mrs. Woodman” series of photographs and enjoyed the irony and humour.' So began the series of figure compositions which seem to sustain themselves as symbol and metaphor for aspects of the human condition.
These figures have inhabited Carruthers’ paintings since the early 1990s. They may be placed in a fully-realised 3-D space, their solidity asserted with dramatic lighting; or they may be flat, insubstantial. They may be gathered as a busy community or they may be isolated. They are always featureless. They can be translated as a deliberately ironic comment on life; they are also evidence of the artist’s continuing preoccupation with abstraction. He reduces and manipulates the figures so that they are sometimes in the Romantic tradition, a model of profound humanity, and sometimes - more challenging and chilling - Orwellian tokens of inhumanity.
Above all - we return to our opening remark - Derek Carruthers continued to ask questions, both about his life in a particular time and place, and about the lot of the human being on a universal scale. As an artist and a scholar, he saw himself at the intersection of these challenging states. And he makes you think........
- Creator:Derek Carruthers (1935 - 2021, British)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.83 in (91 cm)Width: 48.04 in (122 cm)Depth: 0.71 in (1.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Cotignac, FR
- Reference Number:Seller: GB/Ark/Carruthers1stDibs: LU1430213670772
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2000
1stDibs seller since 2020
236 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Cotignac, France
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllLarge Scale Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 'Noah's Ark and the Animals'.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Very large scale late 20th century oil on canvas of Noah's Ark and the Animals by British artist Derek Carruthers. Signed to the bottom right.
A magical, highly colourful and energe...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Animal Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
'Paysage de Neige Dans le Jura, Avec Chevreuil'. Mid 19th Century Oil on Canvas.
By Gustave Courbet
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid 19th century French oil on canvas of a snow scene in the Jura by Gustave Courbet. Signed bottom right in his characteristic 'ox-blood' red.
Our painting is very similar in compo...
Category
19th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Impressionist Oil on Canvas, The Salmon Pool, Canonbie, Scotland
Located in Cotignac, FR
Early 20th Century oil on canvas view of a salmon river by Miss D L Murray. The painting is signed bottom left and there is an artist's label with title to th...
Category
Early 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
French Mid-Century Oil on Canvas. 'Arco de Zocodover' in Toledo, Spain.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid Century oil on canvas view of the Moorish arch in the Plaza de Zocodover in Toledo, Spain by Louis Léo Hourdille. The painting is signed and titled to the back of the canvas.
Ho...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Large French 18th Century Oil on Canvas Pastoral Scene, 'Verdure' Aubusson Style
Located in Cotignac, FR
Monumental French 18th Century oil on canvas 'Verdure' pastoral scene in the manner of the tapestries of Royal Aubusson and the style of Isaac Moillon.
Provenance: Southern French ...
Category
Early 18th Century Rococo Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Apples, Hommage to Rousseau, Large, Square, Naive Oil on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Large square French fantasy naive oil on canvas by Jean Henry Brossat. Signed to the front and bearing a title in Russian (?) script to the rear. In a plai...
Category
Mid-20th Century Animal Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
You May Also Like
Vintage Surreal Trompe L'Oeil Dog Landscape Signed Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Bulgarian modernist landscape oil painting by Alexander Titorenkov. Oil on canvas, circa 1993. Signed. Displayed in a period frame. Ima...
Category
1990s Surrealist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Family Day Off - London modern cityscape wildlife surreal abstract oil painting
By Nathan Neven
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online.
In this contemporary surrealist painting Nathan Neven juxtapos...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Grande Place-original cityscape wildlife animal architecture-modern art
By Nathan Neven
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online.
"Grande Place" by Nathan Neven is a captivating portrayal that...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Animal Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Boss (paw, feline, cougar, wild cat, man, animal, americana, surrealist painting
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In this evocative piece by Rudolf Kosow, we are confronted with the signature elements of surrealism that define his work. The canvas is dominated by the vastness of a feline's paw, ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Animal Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Night of the Ram - Desolate Surreal Landscape
By Eugene Berman
Located in Miami, FL
A desolate, surreal landscape with a haunting and mysterious outdoor still life featuring Ram's head emerging from the daisies and underbrush. Classical statues sit on the horizon l...
Category
1960s Surrealist Animal Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Signed Surreal Southwest Modernist Desert Cactus Original Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Signed. Unframed. Image size, 28"L x 20"H.
Category
1950s Surrealist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
$796 Sale Price
20% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Large Scale Models
King Oil On Canvas
Scale Model Architectural
Animal Relief
British Antique Oil On Canvas
Antique Paintings Water
Large Wooden Animals
Surrealist Water Paintings
Scholar Oil Painting
Oil Paint Circle Art On Paper
Dead Animals
Pyramid Oil Painting
Triangular Painting
Dead Tree
Large Antique Watercolor Painting
Victor Scale
Egyptian Pyramids
Egypt Water Colour