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Token [verso: Tree in a Landscape (unfinished)]
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? Tate, London 2006

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Token [verso: Tree in a Landscape (unfinished)] about 1929 - 1930 [verso about 1927 - 1928]
Nash was primarily a landscape painter until the late 1920s when he began to adopt certain characteristics of Surrealism into his works. This change in his art was undoubtedly provoked by an exhibition of Giorgio de Chirico's paintings, which he saw in London in 1928. Nash admired the enigmatic nature of de Chirico?s work, a quality he adopted for this painting. The work is a geometrical composition in which the lines of the easel are set off against the angle of the painting in the background and the corner of the room. The antique gold frame seen in this painting was later used by Nash to frame another painting.

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Composition

The arrangement of different elements in a work of art.

Surrealism

A literary and artistic movement founded by the poet André Breton in 1924. Many of the associated artists, such as Max Ernst and Jean Arp, had previously been involved with Dadaism. The movement sought to challenge conventions through the exploration of the subconscious mind, invoking the power of dreams and elements of chance. Cultural hierarchies were challenged by the combination of diverse elements in collages and sculptural assemblages. The movement is also notable for the collaborations between artists and writers evident in the Surrealists' many publications.

Composition, Surrealism

Details

  • Acc. No. GMA 2984
  • Medium Oil on canvas
  • Size 51.40 x 61.20 cm
  • Credit Purchased 1986

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