Maria Helena VIEIRA DA SILVA (1908-1992) Lot n° 28

Maria Helena VIEIRA DA SILVA (1908-1992) Untitled, 1950. Watercolour with gouache on paper. Signed and dated in the lower right corner. 25,5 x 15,5 cm. A fold, a small tear. A certificate of the gallery Jeanne BUCHER and Michel EYRIEY dated respectively 29/05/1985 and 19/12/1975 will be given to the future buyer. A major figure of the School of Paris, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva gained international fame in the 1950s with her labyrinthine compositions. Her work, between figuration and abstraction, bears witness to a permanent exploration of perception and weaves strong links between painting, mosaic, tapestry and architecture. The work of a leading artist of the École de Paris In this watercolour, bright red lines, supported by azure, turquoise and gold segments, split the brown paper vertically, with the reserve visible. The fiery weft is set in a black painted frame that reinforces the brilliance of the colours a little more. It is as reminiscent of the painting The Fire (1944), an apocalyptic vision of a city in flames during the war, as it is of the themes for which the artist is best known, such as the library. A tapestry study? This composition also evokes the art of tapestry, with which the artist is familiar - she won the first prize for tapestry at the University of Basel in 1954. The interweaving of the coloured lines suggests a subtle weave, while its tapered composition may refer to the monumental painting Les Tisserands II (1948), kept at the Centre Pompidou. Our watercolour is thus situated in a key moment in the work of Maria Elena Vieira da Silva and demonstrates her ability to question our perceptions. It is an important work in understanding her creative process and her approach to the various arts she mastered, such as tapestry.