Ben Nicholson, O.M. (1894-1982)

In 1953 Nicholson returned to the medium of the painted relief after an interval of six years. The relief and circles in Oct 14-53 (Zennor) appear to be ordered with simplicity and serenity, which is reinforced by the cool, pale tones of this work. There is a delicacy in the fine lines of the circles, and the balance of the smaller and larger circles within the relief creates a sense of equilibrium.

Peter Khoroche writes, 'In these later reliefs we see Nicholson constantly exploring and developing the potentialities of colour and texture just as much as form. It is as if all the subtle gradations of colour, tone and texture that he registered while drawing landscape and architecture were stored away, later to find expression in his carved surfaces where colour is not simply brushed onto the surface of the board but is made to seem indivisable from it. These formal and technical developments go hand in hand with Nicholson's expanding range of motifs and with his desire to make his work as inclusive a response to life as possible' (exhibition catalogue, Ben Nicholson 'chasing out something alive' drawings and painted reliefs 1950-75, Cambridge, Kettle's Yard, 2002, p. 26).