Description
Lilian Victoria Epworth Colbourn (British, 1897–1967) | ‘Houses, Paris’
An exceptional oil on canvas by Lilian Colbourn entitled Houses, Paris. Signed ‘COLBOURN’ lower left and inscribed verso.
This painting represents a significant departure from Colbourn’s better-known topographical and maritime studies of the North Yorkshire coast. Executed circa 1958, this sophisticated canvas represents an important milestone in her career, demonstrating how seamlessly her celebrated Northern expressionism could adapt to the cosmopolitan subject matter of post-war Europe.
The work reveals a profound synthesis of European Expressionism and British mid-century abstraction. Her sophisticated palette beautifully balances low-key tones with strategic, luminous accents of soft pink and brilliant sky-blue peering through the rooftops. This optical contrast gives the canvas a remarkably dynamic presence, ensuring the steep, claustrophobic verticals of the historic Parisian architecture remain vibrant and alive. The painting functions as a masterful study of space, light, and movement, perfectly encapsulating the critical assessment of her contemporary, the eminent art critic Eric Newton, who identified her style as a uniquely “turbulent vision”.
Condition: The painting is in very good original condition. The frame has sustained a crack that runs horizontally on the cream inner section of the frame, this is solid but visible. There are also chips and marks to the frame consistent with age. In our opinion this does not detract and the painting is ready to hang on the wall.
