-
Details
- Other Title
- Study for a Transfiguration
- Date
- 1957
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 91.5 x 91.5 cm stretcher; 106.5 x 105.7 x 3.5 cm frame
- Signature & date
Signed l.r., blue paint "Vaughan". Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1960
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- OB4.1960
- Copyright
- © Estate of Keith Vaughan/DACS. Copyright Agency
- Artist information
-
Keith Vaughan
Works in the collection
- Share
-
About
'Figure against a blue background' was closely linked with another painting of the same period, 'Fourth assembly of figures' 1956 [originally titled 'Transfiguration group'] in the collection of the Nottingham City Museums & Galleries, England.
"Subsequently I altered the titles of both paintings to remove any religious associations, which were never intended. From my point of view the painting is of interest because it was the first time I succeeded in controlling a looser, more spontaneous and fluent style of painting, and uniting figurative and abstract elements in the same composition. While realising the dangers involved in this, I had nevertheless long felt compelled to try and find a common ground for unifying the two elements and reconciling the conflict implicit in the concept of man in his environment (a reconciliation purely in plastic terms and not in illustrative or descriptive terms)." Letter from the artist 14.11.1960
-
Exhibition history
Shown in 4 exhibitions
John Moores Liverpool exhibition (1957-58), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 10 Nov 1957–11 Jan 1958
Recent paintings by Keith Vaughan, The Leicester Galleries, London, 06 Jun 1958–28 Jun 1958
Keith Vaughan: recent paintings, The Matthiesen Gallery, London, 26 Feb 1960–19 Mar 1960
Purchases and Acquisitions for 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 Mar 1961–23 Apr 1961
-
Bibliography
Referenced in 7 publications
-
Ernest Brown and Phillips Ltd, London, Recent paintings by Keith Vaughan, London, 1958.
-
Renée Free, Art Gallery of New South Wales catalogue of British paintings, Sydney, 1987, 201 (illus.).
-
Anne Kirker and Peter Tomory, British painting 1800–1990 in Australian and New Zealand public collections, Sydney, 1997, 177. cat.no. 2188
-
Hal Missingham, Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly, 'Acquisitions for 1960', pg. 58-67, Sydney, Apr 1961, 59 (illus.).
-
Hal Missingham, Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly, 'Acquisitions for 1960', pg. 60-67, Sydney, Apr 1961, 59 (illus.).
-
The Matthiesen Gallery, Keith Vaughan: recent paintings, London, 1960.
-
Walker Art Gallery, The Walker Art Gallery presents the John Moores Liverpool exhibition, Liverpool, 1957. cat.no. 77, as 'Study for a Transfiguration'
-
-
Provenance
The Leicester Galleries, 1958, London/England
The Matthiesen Gallery, Mar 1960, London/England, Purchased by the AGNSW from Matthiesen Gallery 1960. Purchased from the exhibition 'Recent paintings by Keith Vaughan' 26 February - 19 March 1960