Lot 200: SIGRID HOLMWOOD

SIGRID HOLMWOOD B. 1978 THE SPINNERS signed, titled and dated 2007 on the backboard fluorescent yellow orange egg tempera; lead white, chrome yellow light, Prussian blue, cochineal, bone black, Spanish glazing ochre in oils on board 120.5 by 152.5cm.; 48½ by 60in.

Annely Juda Fine Art, London, where acquired by the present owner in February 2008

A member of a Tudor re-enactment group, Sigrid Holmwood uses traditional 16υth century methods to make her own paints from scratch, thus infusing each colour with its own 'character', as well as conjuring up 'ideas you could never get from buying it in tubes'. The fluorescent colours which bathe The Spinners in a luminous light, at once appear similar to ancient vegetable dyes, such as madder, and yet also seem to take inspiration from contemporary culture. Half Swedish, Holmwood has also been inspired by the 19th century painters and folk art of the Darlarna province whose influence can be seen in the wall hanging in the background of the present work. Indeed, her compositions are the product of extensive research, blending tradition and innovation to create a highly unique result. The historical re-enactors who play the role of the peasants have hand stitched their own garments, the work environment has been comprehensively reconstructed, and the enacted subjects recall the simpler life of a bygone era.