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Celia Paul — Tristan Und Isolde
Celia Paul

Tristan Und Isolde

2025

This vertical composition presents two overlapping figural forms rendered in gestural, layered brushwork. The upper figure gazes downward with an introspective expression, while a second face emerges below, both rendered in muted flesh tones against a luminous ground of yellows, greens, and blues. The artist employs oil, ink, and pastel in a fluid technique that prioritizes emotional immediacy over representational clarity, with streaking vertical marks and scattered accent strokes creating an atmospheric envelope. The work exemplifies Paul's sustained investigation of psychological states and human connection through expressive abstraction, positioning her within a lineage of post war figuration that privileges gesture and surface materiality. The intimate scale and paper support emphasize the work's drawing like immediacy.

Medium
Oil, ink and pastel on paper
Overall

Notes

Victoria Miro, Frieze New York 2026, Booth A07, May 13–17, 2026.

For Sale — £28000

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About this work

Celia Paul, Tristan Und Isolde, 2025

This vertical composition presents two overlapping figural forms rendered in gestural, layered brushwork. The upper figure gazes downward with an introspective expression, while a second face emerges below, both rendered in muted flesh tones against a luminous ground of yellows, greens, and blues. The artist employs oil, ink, and pastel in a fluid technique that prioritizes emotional immediacy over representational clarity, with streaking vertical marks and scattered accent strokes creating an atmospheric envelope. The work exemplifies Paul's sustained investigation of psychological states and human connection through expressive abstraction, positioning her within a lineage of post war figuration that privileges gesture and surface materiality. The intimate scale and paper support emphasize the work's drawing like immediacy.

Medium
Oil, ink and pastel on paper
Dimensions
overall: 101.6 x 66 cm
Year
2025
Seen at
Victoria Miro Gallery, United Kingdom

Related themes

Figurative Painting, Emotional Intensity, Vertical Composition, Yellow Green Blue, Post War Figuration, Human Connection, Mixed Media, Ink And Pastel, Introspection, British Artist, Portraiture, Oil Paint, Psychological Expression, Gesture Drawing, Ethereal Quality, Contemporary Art, Intimate Scale, Paper Support, Expressive Abstraction, 20th Century Lineage

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