Description:

Alan Davie
Scottish, (1920 - 2014)
I, abstract composition
lithograph
Pencil signed lower right, edition 54/75.

Biography from the Archives of askART: Born in Scotland in 1920 Alan Davie studied at Edinburgh College of Art between 1937 and 1940. In 1942 he won the Guthrie Award for the best painting by a young artist at the Scottish Royal Academy summer exhibition.

Davie went on to gain international recognition and today he is considered by many to be one of the most important British artists of the post-war era. His work can be seen in galleries and museums worldwide; in Britain these include the Tate and the Scottish National Museum of Modern Art. Davie is also an accomplished jewelry designer and jazz musician.

Davie travelled widely and in Venice became influenced by other painters of the period, such as Paul Klee, Jackson Pollock and Joan Miró, as well as by a wide range of cultural symbols. In particular, his painting style owes much to his affinity with Zen. Having read Eugen Herrigel's book Zen in the Art of Archery (1953) he has assimilated the spontaneity which Zen emphasizes Declaring that the spiritual path is incompatible with planning ahead, he has attempted to paint as automatically as possible, which is intended to bring forth elements of his unconscious.

Like Pollock, many of Davie's works have been executed by standing above the painting, which is laid on the ground. He adds layers of paint until sometimes the original painting has been covered over many times. However, despite the speed at which he works (he has usually had several paintings on the go at once), he is adamant that his images are not pure abstraction, but all have significance as symbols.

As well as painting, whether on canvas or paper (he has stated that he prefers to work on paper), Davie has recently produced several screenprints. He found a public for his work on the continent and in America some time before the British art public could reconcile itself to his mixture of ancient and newly invented of symbols and his explosive brushwork. His paintings appear at once apocalyptic and triumphant. In his lectures Davie stressed the importance of improvisation as his chosen method. His stance was that of an inspired soothsayer resisting the inroads of rational civilization.

Source:
Trinity House Fine Art Consultants,
http://www.trinityhousepaintings.com/Davie-Alan-DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=45&tabindex=44&artistid=66428

  • Dimensions: 24 3/4"H x 35 1/4"W
  • Medium: lithograph

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May 21, 2025 5:00 PM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

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