Beschreibung:

Artist: John Kingerlee (b.1936) Title: Letter (Srik Series) (2015) Signature: signed with monogram lower left and titled on reverse Medium: oil and collage on card Size: 38 x 45½cm (14.96 x 17.91in) Framed Size: 65 x 70cm Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist; Private Collection Exhibited: Beyond the Beyonds: Work by John Kingerlee, The Crescent Gallery, Belfast, 11th - 31st January 2018 a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} The Letter belongs to an ongoing series of work known as the SRIKs - a term that Kingerlee invented in homage to two members of his pantheon of great modern artists: Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948), who had links with Hanover in Germany and Ambleside in ... Read more The Letter belongs to an ongoing series of work known as the SRIKs - a term that Kingerlee invented in homage to two members of his pantheon of great modern artists: Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948), who had links with Hanover in Germany and Ambleside in the Lake District; and on the other side of the Atlantic Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), the New York-based precursor of Pop with whom Kingerlee also feels a strong connection. As Kingerlee explains: "SRIK is a word derived from three surnames - Schwitters, Rauschenberg, Kingerlee. A small family tree. A line of inheritance. I have always had a love of Kurt Scwhitters - the man himself and his work. And this love continued on into the work of Robert Rauschenberg Work done in the fifties when he was a poor man and unknown. The SRIKs are absorbing and housing a lifetime's random collection of memorabilia. Old notes, old letters, old drawings etc. which I carried for years, all passing out of my life and into the world of pictures." Kingerlee's explanation reveals that he identifies with both artists and is inspired as much by their commitment to innovation and experimentation as he is by their non-commercial dedication to their craft. This passion for his illustrious forebears remains as strong today as it was at the beginning of his career, more than fifty years ago. There was certainly never any question of it surviving his move to West Cork in 1982. On one level the SRIKs are a compendium of the artist's past, given that they incorporate collaged pieces of paper which, in many instances, are decades old and provide glimpses into his personal life. One of the most poignant examples is the present work, aptly titled The Letter, referring to a hand-written note sent by the headmaster at John's school in Devon to his mother. Addressing her formally as Mrs Kingerlee, he thanks her for sending a cheque to help cover the costs of her son's education. The letter was written at least 65 years ago when Kingerlee was a teenager. That it survived the ravages of time is proof of the artist's love of paper ephemera and his instinct to preserve them. By deciding to embed this morsel of autobiography in a SRIK, he literally resurrected an episode from his past so it could be shared with others. In the artwork the words of the headmaster have been highlighted with a loop drawn in red crayon, while just to the right a double line of franked postage stamps peers through the layers of dragged and rubbed paint, which in themselves evoke the passage of time. The stamps bear images of mammals, birds, mountains and the Virgin and Child, serving as a reminder of Kingerlee's love of the vernacular. Jonathan Benington, March 2018.