Painted as part of a series of large-scale portraits, Baselitz’s Raum licht wiln echt mehr (Rial blef well) is a self-reflexive testament to the artist’s capacity for honesty, impulse and inspiration. The dramatic expression that characterises the work is accented by moments of poise and a considered reference point. Although the work is concerned with the artist and his process, it also references self-portraiture and the discipline of painting at large. The series painted for Farewell Bill, a 2014 exhibition at Gagosian London, marks a departure from formerly familial works of the previous decade. Instead, these paintings are an investigation that ignites the start of a vibrant exploration of Baselitz practice emphasising the prevalence of mark-making.
“You can do nice self-portraits, I tend not to… I avoid pretty self-portraits. I often even paint ugly ones.”
—Georg BaselitzWhile it is true that Raum licht wiln echt mehr (Rial blef well) is a self-portrait, it is equally an homage to the artist’s source of inspiration. Baselitz’s exposure to the masters of Abstract Expressionism while studying at Berlin College of the Arts, was a point of departure for his interest in Willem De Kooning’s work.Baselitz's painterly style developed through the physicality of his process, sectioning works, rapidly painting allowing the large spread canvas to inhabit his studio floor which contributed to impressions of cans, marks and footprints putting the artist at the centre of this work and voiding any overview on the outcome. Baselitz reinvents his previous painterly style to be more expressive and impulsive; oscillating between representation and abstraction.
As such, the Farewell Bill series bears a close resemblance to the gestural figures of De Kooning’s Woman I and Woman II from the 1950s. In a deliberate emulation of the same fluidity exhibited in De Kooning’s work, Baselitz dilutes oil paint with turpentine to obtain a consistency more akin to watercolours. The result is a series of compositions that demonstrate combative dimensions, echoing the exuberance of Abstract Expressionism. The poised inquisition of self-portraiture is thus imbued with an inspired and impulsive drama.
Willem de Kooning, Woman I, 1950-52, Museum of Modern Art, New York. © The Willem de Kooning Foundation/ARS, NY and DACS, London 2023 Amidst plosive uses of colour, Baselitz riffs on his own likeness with an uncanny ability to communicate uneasy angst without any expense to his own humanity. Like so many of Baselitz’s works, the perspective is inverted, and the composition appears to the viewer upside down. The device that has come to characterise Baselitz’s oeuvre by obscuring the viewers preconceived perceptions disturbs the painting both visually and symbolically. Heightening the artist’s belief that people pay closer attention when they are disturbed. Indeed, as one peers into the composition, letters spelling out “ZERO” can be read in turn revealing a cap that adorns the subject. The company Zero formerly provided Baselitz with his painting supplies and the artist purchased the cap subsequent to their bankruptcy, commemorating their slogan “Zero. Everything a painter could want.”i The private joke that the artist includes in each of the works, demonstrates his ability to sum up his profession and the wider discipline of painting with an ironic device that is both personal and comprehensive.
i Georg Baselitz, 'Georg Baselitz talks about Farewell Bill, at Gagosian, Britannia Street, London', Youtube, 5 March 2014, online
Provenance
Gagosian Gallery, London
Acquired from the above by the present ownerExhibited
London, Gagosian Gallery, Georg Baselitz: Farewell Bill, 13 February - 29 March 2014
122
Raum licht wiln echt mehr (Rial blef well)
signed, partially titled and dated 'G. Baselitz 16. X 2013 'raum licht wiln echt mehr'' on the reverse
oil on canvas
300 x 275 cm (118 1/8 x 108 1/4 in.)
Painted in 2013.
Estimate
£300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £431,800
Charlotte Gibbs
Associate Specialist
+44 73931 41144
cgibbs@phillips.com
Simon Tovey
Specialist, Associate Director
+44 20 7318 4084
stovey@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale
London Auction 12 October 2023
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