William Gillies RSA
Untitled (Balanced), c.1934-35
Oil on canvas
61 x 57 cm (sight)
70.3 x 60.3 cm (frame)
70.3 x 60.3 cm (frame)
A question faced by many artists in the mid-1930s was whether to go completely abstract. Indeed, was this even possible? So, Gillies painted this work at a time when he...
A question faced by many artists in the mid-1930s was whether to go completely abstract. Indeed, was this even possible? So, Gillies painted this work at a time when he was personally in a balance between figurative art and abstraction. It is a playful painting, which feels deliberately unbalanced. But what balance is there in complete abstraction anyway? We find humorous irony here. It is fitting for Gillies' life and character.
