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Donald Teskey
COASTLINE NARRATIVE I
Lot 17
Price Realised:
€40,000
Estimate:
€40,000 - €60,000
Donald Teskey RHA, b.1956
COASTLINE NARRATIVE I
Oil on canvas, 84 1/4" x 96" (214 x 244cm), signed; signed, inscribed and dated 2004 verso.
Provenance: Rubicon Gallery, Dublin (label verso).
One of the more extraordinary achievements ...
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Lot 17
Donald Teskey
COASTLINE NARRATIVE I
Lot 17
Donald Teskey
COASTLINE NARRATIVE I
Estimate:
€40,000 - €60,000
Donald Teskey RHA, b.1956
COASTLINE NARRATIVE I
Oil on canvas, 84 1/4" x 96" (214 x 244cm), signed; signed, inscribed and dated 2004 verso.
Provenance: Rubicon Gallery, Dublin (label verso).
One of the more extraordinary achievements of Donald Teskey's paintings is that, for all theuproar, the booming din that is part and parcel of their topics, their effect on us is one of calm. If wewere to think of them as freeze-frames of a film, it would be one without sound, or with the soundturned down.
I believe Donald Teskey's finest works so far are his large-scale acts of attention to the ferocious clash ofland and ocean, a series of masterpieces - yes, masterpieces - he extends in Coastline Narratives.Exact and evocative, these paintings enact every detail of the drama of the waves' assault on theshore's abrupt edge and, by pitting such elemental powers against each other, they conjure thatconundrum of physics - the unstoppable force and the immovable object. And yet they display noover-awed, dispassionate detachment.
Donald Teskey has spoken about his art as 'chasing thelight', he follows itinto the nooks and crannies of the rocks, tracing the fault lines and defects which reveal theirultimate character. The precise whereabouts of Teskey's tidal and coastline narratives are declared only through thepaintings' titles or through the artist's specific report. We couldn't ever say we recognize or couldpinpoint their map position. That's not what's important.
Teskey'ssignature pieces are distinguished, first, by the expert confidence of their composition. Many ofthese Coastline Narratives are etched in a way that we might see a score and hear its notes. They areunderpinned by grids and graphs the paints will fill, layer on layer, as they're scratched and scrapedinto being. Others are inscribed with lines that direct our eyes and instruct us likeogam (modern Irish, ogham pronounced om), that ancient system of markings cut into stone,which served as memorials and territorial boundaries. Land's ends, you might say. Secondly, they are remarkable for the economy and efficiency of their coloration, the artist'svariation on themes within a narrow spectrum, the delicate balance of whites, greys and light bluesoffset only by the occasional stain of minerals deep in the monoliths or by earth tones of a distantbackdrop. The colour range contributes to his works' sense of lull or interlude. His is an assuagingart. His paintings have what Ted Hughes called 'the authentic fingerprint of experience'. They begin ina place, in the world, in fact - and end in glorious art. And yet for all the quietness I've emphasised,the silent opera of what Donald Teskey has already accomplished, there is in his work a hushedinsistence.
Ref:Extracts taken from the publication 'Coastline Narratives', 17 Oct 2006, by Peter Fallon,written in 2006. Peter Fallon is editor and publisher of The Gallery Press.
COASTLINE NARRATIVE I
Oil on canvas, 84 1/4" x 96" (214 x 244cm), signed; signed, inscribed and dated 2004 verso.
Provenance: Rubicon Gallery, Dublin (label verso).
One of the more extraordinary achievements of Donald Teskey's paintings is that, for all theuproar, the booming din that is part and parcel of their topics, their effect on us is one of calm. If wewere to think of them as freeze-frames of a film, it would be one without sound, or with the soundturned down.
I believe Donald Teskey's finest works so far are his large-scale acts of attention to the ferocious clash ofland and ocean, a series of masterpieces - yes, masterpieces - he extends in Coastline Narratives.Exact and evocative, these paintings enact every detail of the drama of the waves' assault on theshore's abrupt edge and, by pitting such elemental powers against each other, they conjure thatconundrum of physics - the unstoppable force and the immovable object. And yet they display noover-awed, dispassionate detachment.
Donald Teskey has spoken about his art as 'chasing thelight', he follows itinto the nooks and crannies of the rocks, tracing the fault lines and defects which reveal theirultimate character. The precise whereabouts of Teskey's tidal and coastline narratives are declared only through thepaintings' titles or through the artist's specific report. We couldn't ever say we recognize or couldpinpoint their map position. That's not what's important.
Teskey'ssignature pieces are distinguished, first, by the expert confidence of their composition. Many ofthese Coastline Narratives are etched in a way that we might see a score and hear its notes. They areunderpinned by grids and graphs the paints will fill, layer on layer, as they're scratched and scrapedinto being. Others are inscribed with lines that direct our eyes and instruct us likeogam (modern Irish, ogham pronounced om), that ancient system of markings cut into stone,which served as memorials and territorial boundaries. Land's ends, you might say. Secondly, they are remarkable for the economy and efficiency of their coloration, the artist'svariation on themes within a narrow spectrum, the delicate balance of whites, greys and light bluesoffset only by the occasional stain of minerals deep in the monoliths or by earth tones of a distantbackdrop. The colour range contributes to his works' sense of lull or interlude. His is an assuagingart. His paintings have what Ted Hughes called 'the authentic fingerprint of experience'. They begin ina place, in the world, in fact - and end in glorious art. And yet for all the quietness I've emphasised,the silent opera of what Donald Teskey has already accomplished, there is in his work a hushedinsistence.
Ref:Extracts taken from the publication 'Coastline Narratives', 17 Oct 2006, by Peter Fallon,written in 2006. Peter Fallon is editor and publisher of The Gallery Press.
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In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
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