Details
GERTRUDE ABERCROMBIE (1909-1977)
A Dark Day
incised with the artist's signature and date 'Abercrombie 47' (lower left)
oil on Masonite
4 ⅛ x 5 ⅜ in. (10.5 x 13.7 cm.)
Painted in 1947.
Provenance
Associated American Artists Gallery, New York
Private collection, Midwest
Richard Norton Gallery, Chicago
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Literature
Gertrude Abercrombie, exh. cat., New York, Karma, 2018, pp. 273 & 483 (illustrated).
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Lot Essay

Gertrude Abercrombie’s depiction of an alternative, dream-like reality is evocative of the Italian pittura metafisica (metaphysical painting) of artist's such as Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà. In discussing her surrealist imagery, she said, “It is always myself that I paint.” In the present lot, the lone figure in the landscape stands in profile, gazing out at the gloomy horizon. It can be assumed that the individual is Abercrombie herself, lending this piece to be a sort of psychic self-portrait. As such, this portrayal demonstrates the inner landscape of anxiety, fear and loneliness, which riddled much of her life.

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