Lot 224
Valerie Thornton Etching "Cley" (1975)
Valerie Thornton Etching "Cley" (1975)
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Valerie Thornton (British, 1931-1991). "Cley" etching and aquatint on paper, 1975. Edition number 68 of 70. Hand-signed, dated, titled, and numbered beneath etching. A finely detailed etching and aquatint by Valerie Thornton, titled "Cley" and dated 1975. The work depicts the weathered facade of St. Margaret's Church in Cley next the Sea, Norfolk, one of the great medieval wool churches of East Anglia. Thornton captures the flint and stone textures of the Gothic structure with remarkable sensitivity, her etched line and aquatint tones evoking both the monumentality of the architecture and the passage of time upon its surface. The composition emphasizes the traceried windows and the variegated masonry, rendered with Thornton's characteristic attention to pattern and tactile quality. Her interest in Romanesque and Gothic architecture is evident here, as she transforms the centuries-old fabric of the church into a rich field of textures and tonal contrasts. Size of etching: 24" W x 15.5" H (61 cm x 39.4 cm); of frame: 34.5" W x 26" H (87.6 cm x 66 cm)
Numbered 68 of 70, the print demonstrates her mastery of architectural etching, a practice rooted in her engagement with both English romanticism and the technical innovations of Atelier 17 in Paris. Thornton's architectural subjects, such as this Norfolk church, remain among her most celebrated contributions to British printmaking, balancing a sense of historic reverence with a modernist sensitivity to surface and structure.
About the artist: A British printmaker celebrated for her architectural etchings, Valerie Thornton (1931-1991) was born in London and evacuated to Montreal during the Second World War before returning to study at the Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting and later Regent Street Polytechnic. Inspired by English romantics like Stanley Spencer and Graham Sutherland, as well as the groundbreaking printmaking at Atelier 17 in Paris, she developed a lifelong passion for etching. Thornton became a founder member of the Printmakers' Council in 1965 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers the following decade.
Her work, which often captured the textures of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, is represented in major public collections including the British Museum, Tate, Fitzwilliam Museum, Ashmolean, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library. Throughout her career she exhibited widely in Britain and abroad, with retrospectives at the Redfern Gallery and the Ashmolean Museum. Thornton lived and worked in Suffolk until her death in 1991.
Provenance: private Arvada, Colorado, USA collection
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#197014
- Condition: Mounted behind glass in custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Has not been examined outside of glass but appears to be in excellent overall condition. Frame has small nick at bottom that does not affect etching but is otherwise in very good condition. Hand-signed, dated, titled, and numbered beneath etching.
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