Footnotes

Provenance
Dominion Gallery, Montréal, Canada
Norton Gallery and School of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida, US
Collection of Dr. et de Mme Stern, Montreal, Canada
Estate of M. A., Montréal, Canada
Sale: IEGOR, Québec, Canada, 16 September 2020, Lot 13
Acquired from above by the present owner

Literature
Georges Mathieu, Mathieu 50 ans de création, Hervas, Paris, 2003, p. 273, illustrated in colour

喬治．馬修
米蒂利尼
油彩 畫布
1976年作

簽名：Mathieu 76（右下）；MYTILENE（畫框）

此作附喬治．馬修委員會開立之作品保證書

來源
加拿大，蒙特利爾，Dominion 畫廊
美國，佛羅里達州，西棕櫚灘，諾頓畫廊和藝術學院
加拿大，蒙特利爾，其史特恩博士收藏
加拿大，蒙特利爾，M. A.家族收藏
拍賣：加拿大，魁北克，IEGOR，2020年9月16日，拍品編號 13
現藏家得自上述來源

出版
《Mathieu 50 ans de création》，喬治．馬修編， Hervas出版，巴黎，2003年，第273頁，彩圖

Georges Mathieu, a renowned French artist, pioneered the iconic style of Lyrical Abstraction in the late 1940s. In 1976, he was honoured with the title of Academician by the French Academy of Fine Arts. His influence extended well beyond Europe, significantly shaping the evolution of abstract art in both the United States and Japan. Mathieu is known for his dynamic, calligraphy-like style, celebrated as the "Western calligrapher".

In 1976, Georges Mathieu created Mytilène, a work inspired by a series of country-themed posters he made for Air France in 1967. Using his signature technique, the artist applied paint directly onto the canvas, creating rhythmic and forceful lines reminiscent of calligraphy to convey his impressions of the Greek port city of Mytilène. At first glance, the central visual focus is on the bold, straight lines in black, red, purple, and white. However, on closer inspection, a warm pink stroke emerges from the centre of the canvas, extending upward. Like a faint glimmer in the dark depths of the ocean, this subtle light adds an aura of mystery to the composition.

Mytilène embodies the hallmark style of Georges Mathieu's 1970s works, distinguished by its well-defined structure and rhythmic lines. Set against a richly layered and nuanced background, the imagery emerges as a profoundly expressive abstract work.

喬治．馬修為法國知名藝術家，並於一九四零年代末期發展出影響深遠的「抒情抽象」。1976年喬治．馬修榮獲法蘭西藝術學院院士頭銜，他的藝術影響不僅限於歐洲，對美國和日本抽象藝術的發展，均扮演了重要的角色，更被譽為「西方書法家」。

1976年喬治．馬修創作了《米蒂利尼》這件作品，其靈感來源可追溯至1967年藝術家為法國航空公司創作了一系列以國家為題的海報。藝術家運用其標誌性的創作手法，直接將顏料擠到畫布上，透過如書法般帶有節奏和力道感的線條，展現他對希臘海港城市米蒂利尼的印象。第一眼望去，黑、紅、紫、白各色筆直的線條佔據畫面中間的視覺主體。然而，再仔細端看，在這些線條之下，一抹溫暖的桃紅色筆觸從畫面中心向上延伸，如同身處漆黑的深海中，反射透出的微微光亮，為畫面增添神祕莫測的氛圍。

《米蒂利尼》具有喬治．馬修七零年代作品的典型風格—結構分明，充滿韻律性的線條、加上富含層次細膩的背景，構成一幅底蘊深厚的抽象作品。