Mary Swanzy, Irish, 1882-1978
Title: Pattern of Rooftops, Czechoslovakia
Date: c.1920-1922
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
42.5 x 48.2 cm
Signed: lower right: MS
Credit Line: Purchased, 1999
Object Number: NGI.4663
Exhibition HistoryMary Swanzy, H.R.H.A., Pyms Gallery, London, September-October 1986, no.42.
Label TextSwanzy was exposed to diverse artistic influences while a student in Dublin and Paris, and on her subsequent, extensive travels. Here, she presents a birds-eye view of a small town in Czechoslovakia, where she had joined her sister to undertake relief work in the wake of the First World War. The bold pattern-making, underlying structure and vibrant colours are reminiscent of the work of Cézanne and Delaunay, which Swanzy is known to have admired. The palette recalls the Fauvist works she would have seen in Paris in 1905.
Label TextAfter the First World War, Swanzy visited Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia where her sister was involved in relief work. During this time, she made sketches and paintings of landscapes and village life. In this picture, Swanzy explores the patterns made by brightly coloured rooftops from a high vantage point. The curving lines of the buildings convey a sense of rhythm and movement, which relates to the artist’s longstanding interest in Futurism and Vorticism. By limiting her palette to red, green, and white, Swanzy emphasises abstract forms and repeated patterns.