Lure

1963
Ayres, Gillian
The painter, Gillian Ayres, is concerned with colour, light and texture. In 'Lure' she has referenced the work of a number of London-based painters who began to incorporate oval patches of colour - which became known as 'blimps' - into their colour-field paintings of the early 1960s. The shapes in 'Lure' directly recall these 'blimps'. The title of this work hints at the seductive atmosphere created by these joyous, free form blobs of colour. Ayres made her first abstract painting in 1952. Around 1956 she saw the photographs of the American action painter, Jackson Pollock, at work on canvases positioned on the floor. Ayres adopted the technique, pooling brightly coloured paint onto the surface of the canvas. During the early 1960s Ayres saw exhibitions of work by the American painters Mark Rothko and Morris Louis. Their influence made a strong impression on Ayres's work, as 'Lure' testifies. Marianne Mulvey
  • Artwork Details: 152.4 x 152.4cm
  • Edition:
  • Material description: oil on canvas
  • Credit line: © the artist
  • Theme: Abstract
  • Medium: Painting
  • Accession number: AC 705

Share

Close
Artists
Artworks
Exhibitions
Articles
Other

The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.