Seated in Stillness

An evocative modernist abstract painting that captures a contemplative figure rendered in bold, gestural strokes, painted in mixed media and dated 1973.

The subject is positioned frontally, seated against a patchwork of abstracted colour fields that imply an interior setting. A vivid orange dominates the figure’s body, outlined with raw yellow and offset by angular shadows in brown, crimson, and white. A striking cobalt blue cloth or object at the figure’s feet anchors the composition with a surprising burst of contrast.

Executed in a distinctly modernist style, the work fuses figurative expression with abstraction. The brushwork is confident and layered, with rough, visible strokes and a painterly energy that emphasises emotional form over anatomical precision. The background moves from a cool, washed green to blocks of saturated red and earthy brown, creating tension and spatial ambiguity.

Overall, the painting presents a powerful study in isolation, colour, and raw human presence.