Items Similar to Large Scale Abstract Geometric Oil on Canvas, Artist's Lay Figures
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 17
Derek Carruthers Large Scale Abstract Geometric Oil on Canvas, Artist's Lay Figures
About the Item
Large abstract geometric oil on canvas of artist's lay figures intertwined by British artist Derek Carruthers. Unsigned but acquired along with other signed works from the artist's estate and with certificate from the gallery.
A wonderfully playful, colourful and energetic painting, cleverly composed of artist's lay figures emerging from a background of two planes. These figures featured often in this period of the artist's work. An artist lay figure is a doll-like model of the human figure that artists can pose in different ways. It can be used for sketching or as a stand-in for the living subject of a portrait.
"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.
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.
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
- Dimensions:Height: 35.83 in (91 cm)Width: 47.84 in (121.5 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Cotignac, FR
- Reference Number:Seller: GB/LayFiguresCarruthers1stDibs: LU1430213702892
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 AllContemporary Italian Abstract Expressionist Oil on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Contemporary Abstract Expressionist acrylic and oil on canvas by Italian artist Albino Palamara. Signed to the reverse. Title: Espoir de la Rencontre.
A strikingly colourful and en...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas, Oil
'Allez!' At the Match. Toulon Rugby Club. Large Expressionist Oil on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Large abstract expressionist oil on canvas of Toulon Rugby Club supporters at a rugby match. Unsigned.
Extremely vibrant and energetic depiction of Toulon ...
Category
Late 20th Century Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Street Art Contemporary Diptych Aerosol on Canvas. "The Three Pastoral Singers".
Located in Cotignac, FR
Contemporary street art Diptych aerosol on canvas by French artist Harold Maka. "Les Trois Chanteurs Bucoliques" (The Three Pastoral Singers). Signed bottom left. The painting is in ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Spray Paint
Mid-Century Abstract Expressionist Oil, 'La Vendeuse d'Oranges'.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A mid-century French Abstract Expressionist oil on board painting of an orange seller by Raphael Arnal. Presented in a gilt wood frame. Signed and dated 1949 to the bottom right by t...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
"La Corrida", "The Bull Run", French Abstract Expressionist Oil on Board.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century abstract Expressionist oil on board by French artist Emmanuelle Bardet. Signed bottom right and dated 95 and titled "La Corrida" to the reverse along with a dedicat...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
'Assemblées', Figures In Motion, Oil on Paper on Board.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Abstract impressionist oil on paper on board by French artist Chantal Payet. Signed and dated April '96 to the reverse.
An interesting and challenging Abstract Impressionist work in...
Category
1990s Abstract Impressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil, Board
You May Also Like
Cubist portrait woman. Patrick Boudon. Art Informel. Ecole de Paris. 1970s.
By Patrick Boudon
Located in Firenze, IT
Cubist portrait woman. Patrick Boudon. Art Informel. Ecole de Paris. 1970s.
Technique: oil on canvas, very textural and colorful.
Patrick BOUDON (1944-2019), signed.
Oil on canvas....
Category
1970s Cubist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Vibrant New York City Times Square, Figural Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting
By Simon Gaon
Located in Surfside, FL
Simon Gaon (born 1943) is an American painter, Expressionist, and action painter.
This is a thick impasto oil painting. with a lot of texture and color. This is a nighttime scene of...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Alternation of Spring and Winter" Oil Painting 59" x 55" in by Sanjar Djabbarov
Located in Culver City, CA
"Alternation of Spring and Winter" Oil Painting 59" x 55" in by Sanjar Djabbarov
ABOUT
Sanjar Djabbarov was born in Gulistan, the capital of the Sirdaria Province in eastern Uzbek...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Man in Leather Smoking
By Vito Tomasello
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful ca. 1960 portrait by American artist, Vito Tomasello. Oil on line canvas, 20 x 24 inches, 28 x 32 inches in period frame. Signed lower right.
A lifetime NYC resident, T...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
$1,500 Sale Price
25% Off
Lyric's Wonderland
Located in New Orleans, LA
Martryce Roach is a self-taught visual artist from New Brunswick, NJ, who introduced her work in 2014. Martryce incorporates elements of music, education, geometric shapes, and envir...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Balancing Act
Located in New Orleans, LA
Martryce Roach is a self-taught visual artist from New Brunswick, NJ, who introduced her work in 2014. Martryce incorporates elements of music, education, geometric shapes, and envir...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Large Scale Models
Scale Model Architectural
Pyramid Oil Painting
Large Antique Watercolor Painting
Victor Scale
Egyptian Pyramids
Oil Portrait Boy Early
German Dolls 20th Century
Norwegian 1980s
Antique Relief Portrait
Charm Norway
Oil Derek
Pyramids Photograph
Vintage Wooden Plane
Vintage Wooden Planes
1940 Vintage Dolls
Wooden Dolls Retro
Norwegian Antique Painted