Lot description
Fernando Zobel (1924-1984) Untitled signed (lower left) oil on canvas 29 1/4”x 25 1/2” (74 cm x 65 cm) Property from the collection of a distinguished couple A Moment of Clarity—an abstract scene of wistful clarity and serenity is conjured by the pictorial surface. Above it floats a slightly of centered blue and black streak, brightening the neutral surface. Capturing a fleeting moment is challenging for artists such as Fernando Zobel. The work reveals a curious mind and his efforts to blend, a multitude of rich (Hispanic and Chinese) influences to form a contemporary visual language. With eastern sensibilities complemented by Western style techniques and composition, Zobel’s work achieves a subtle elegance and contemplative tone, beyond the merely decorative, moving towards a fresh visual language that was distinctive for its polished reinterpretation of traditional motifs. Reductive abstraction is the foundation of Zobel’s aesthetics. It is what he has settled into over the years, after the baroque colorisms of the 1950s and the black and white series of the early 1960s.
