L’Adieu Suprême des Mouchoirs

Location

Country: Singapore
City: Singapore
Place: British High Commission

The bold arched form that shimmers in pink and red in Derek Hirst’s painting is titled after an excerpt from the poem Brise Marine, written in 1865 by the French Symbolist poet, Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–1898). The poem uses marine references as metaphors to express Mallarmé’s longing for travel and escaping his earth-bound life. L’Adieu Suprême des Mouchoirs is one of several abstract screen prints produced by Hirst in the 1970s. It mirrors the artist’s love of travel by stylistically reflecting aspects of architectural and decorative forms – particularly Islamic windows and doorways – that he discovered in southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The brilliant glow of colour in this print conveys the rich tones and light that Hirst experienced while travelling in hot, sunlit, environments.

Painter and printmaker Derek Hirst attended Doncaster School of Art in 1948 and then the Royal College of Art, London from 1948 to 1951. As a student he was introduced to the work of Picasso, Braque and Léger. In 1953 he visited the Lascaux caves in France. This exposure to art from other cultures and places profound affected his own works which tend to have a strong sense of ‘place’, drawing upon environments that he has directly experienced. In 1976 Hirst was diagnosed with cancer which abruptly halted his work for eight years. Since then his work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in the UK and overseas. He has also lectured extensively and has been artist-in-residence at institutions in Sussex, Arizona and Portugal.

Places

Subjects

Mallarmé, Stéphane, poetry, abstract, archway

Materials & Techniques

acrylic (paint), panel, acrylic painting

Artist

Derek Hirst (1930 - 2006)

Title

L’Adieu Suprême des Mouchoirs

Date

1974

Medium

Acrylic on panel with relief

Dimensions

height: 70.00 cm, width: 56.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Angela Flowers Gallery, February 1977

Inscription

Signed dated & inscribed on stretcher bar

GAC number

13003