A substantial and highly characteristic figurative work by St Ives artist John Emanuel (1930-2024), painted in 1992/93 during his mature Porthmeor Studios period.
Emanuel's central subject throughout much of his mature work was the human figure, particularly the female form. In Figure (Libytt Series), the body is reduced to broad, rounded and strongly modelled shapes, built through layers of oil and mixed media. Heavy surface texture, incised lines and areas of brown, ochre, yellow and vivid green give the composition an almost sculptural physicality. The figure is treated in a semi-abstract manner, with its contours merging into the surrounding organic forms.
Details
Artist: John Emanuel (1930-2024)
Title: Figure (Libytt Series)
Date: 1992/93
Medium: Oil and mixed media on board
Artwork size: 32.5 × 45.5 cm (12.8 × 17.9 in)
Framed size: 45 × 58 cm (17.7 × 22.8 in)
Signature / inscriptions: Signed, titled and dated verso; inscribed “Porthmeor Studios, St Ives”
Condition: Artwork and frame in very good condition.
Porthmeor Studios and St Ives
The verso inscription directly associates the painting with Emanuel's studio at Porthmeor Studios, St Ives. Emanuel took Studio 2 there in 1982. The 1992/93 date places this work at an important point in his career: he became a founder member of Porthmeor Printmakers in 1992, and in 1993 Tate St Ives commissioned the group to produce an etching to mark the gallery's opening.
About the Artist
John Emanuel was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1930 and moved to Cornwall in 1964. He did not follow a conventional art-school route; his artistic development included extra-mural study and contact with established St Ives artists including John Wells, Denis Mitchell and Alexander Mackenzie.
Emanuel was elected to the Penwith Society of Arts in 1968 and held his first solo exhibition at Wills Lane Gallery, St Ives in 1975. His work was selected for the Cleveland International Drawing Biennale in 1979 and the Hayward Annual in London in 1982. He later worked from Studio 2 at the historic Porthmeor Studios and became a founder member of Porthmeor Printmakers.
In 1990 he contributed to Ten Etchings, produced to help raise funds for the proposed Tate St Ives. He received the Tate St Ives opening commission with Porthmeor Printmakers in 1993 and conducted workshops at Tate St Ives in 1994. The human figure remained central to his work, frequently simplified into expressive, sculptural forms with a strong relationship to the landscape.
