With layered, repetitive brushstrokes in vivid greens, reds and oranges, Lynne Drexler’s Sporadic Spring, 1963, reflects the fusion of gestural abstraction and figuration for which the artist is known. Combinations of shapes – circles, squares, rhombuses, rectangles – combine to create a landscape that is quite literally, sporadic. The interplays of shapes and colors in the present work is evocative of Drexler’s larger practice, in which she always allowed for color to take the primary role over representation. Though largely underrecognized during her lifetime, Drexler mastered a sophisticated fusion of color, form and gesture which cements her today as one of the premier artists of the 20th century. The artist's works are now held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art, New York and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
“I’ve always felt deeply within myself that I was a damn good artist, though the world didn’t recognize me as such. I wasn’t about to play their game.”
—Lynne DrexlerMoving to New York in 1955, Drexler would go on to study under two powerhouses of Abstract Expressionism, Hans Hofmann and Robert Motherwell. Hofmann’s “push-pull” method of using layered colors within a single pictorial plane coupled with Motherwell’s more technical teaching methods would inform Drexler’s unique style. Such influences are evident in Sporadic Spring. The active, short strokes of color which occupy both foreground and background resemble those of Hofmann, while the imposing shadow-like forms at the upper left and lower right recall Motherwell’s Elegies. Uniquely so, however, Drexler’s art also reflects a deep connection to her art historical precedents, taking cues from colorists such as Henri Matisse and movements like Post-Impressionism and Fauvism. Sporadic Spring’s tumbling shapes of color are perhaps even more reminiscent of Gustav Klimt’s mosaic-like paintings. Like Klimt, Drexler relies on a complex layering system to add depth and form into the otherwise flat picture plane.
Gustav Klimt, The Stoclet Frieze, detail from Tree of Life, 1905–1909, Austrian Museum for Applied Art, Vienna. Image: Album / Art Resource, NY Feeling alienated from the New York art scene, Drexler began spending more time on Monhegan Island in Maine, settling there permanently in 1983. Though not painting the outdoors often, the artist became inspired by her remote island home, incorporating natural motifs into her works while remaining deeply abstract. Always embracing color above all, Drexler consistently used vibrant yet natural tones which hint at the outside world, creating landscapes that jump off the canvas. Works like Sporadic Spring reflect the artist’s connection to and elevation of the landscape tradition, in a way which uniquely brings it into the realm of the abstract, solidifying her place within the 20th century art world.
Provenance
Lupine Gallery, Monhegan, Maine
Acquired from the above by the present owner
106
Sporadic Spring
signed, titled and dated "Sporadic Spring 1963 Lynne Drexler" on the reverse
oil on canvas
40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm)
Painted in 1963.
Estimate
$150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $228,600
Annie Dolan
Specialist, Head of Sale, Morning Session
+1 212 940 1288
adolan@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Morning Session
New York Auction 15 November 2023
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