Sandra Blow 1925-2006
Red, White and Blue, 1975-1985
acrylic and collage on canvas
122 x 122 cm
48 x 48 in
48 x 48 in
signed and dated on the stretcher
Collage was at the heart of Sandra Blow’s work from the 1970s and by the 1980s, the process of stapling strips of coloured paper or canvas cut-outs to her supports...
Collage was at the heart of Sandra Blow’s work from the 1970s and by the 1980s, the process of stapling strips of coloured paper or canvas cut-outs to her supports was central to her practice. While always prioritising structure over colour, Blow considered these pieces of acrylic collage as ‘mobile elements’ and would place them in various configurations, even rotating the canvas itself until her perfect balance, of colour and structure, had been attained. She would often work on canvases for extended periods; indeed Blow started work on Red, White and Blue in 1975 and was only satisfied in 1985, with the addition of the coloured collage elements.
‘I adore colour, but it’s how to use it and keep a great, clear simplicity, that’s the imperative in my work… The bones or foundation of the work must always be a balance of space, colour and shape’
Sandra Blow, 1994, quoted in ’Sandra Blow’, Royal Academy of Arts, exhibition catalogue, 1994, p. 33
‘I adore colour, but it’s how to use it and keep a great, clear simplicity, that’s the imperative in my work… The bones or foundation of the work must always be a balance of space, colour and shape’
Sandra Blow, 1994, quoted in ’Sandra Blow’, Royal Academy of Arts, exhibition catalogue, 1994, p. 33
Provenance
Acquired directly from the Estate of the Artist in 2007Private Collection, Cornwall
Exhibitions
London, Royal Academy of Arts, 'Sandra Blow', 3rd February - 3rd March 1994, ex cat.;
St Ives, Tate Gallery, 'Sandra Blow: Space and Matter', 11th December 2001 - 10th March 2002
Literature
'Sandra Blow: Space and Matter', St Ives, Tate Gallery, exhibition catalogue, 2002, illus., p. 25
John Basford, 'Sandra Blow: Studio Inventory and Catalogue Raisonne of Prints'. 2013, illus,. p30