Metropolitan night, oil on panel, G.L. Worsley, 20th Century British school (1969)

Metropolitan Night, G. L. Worsley, 1960

A striking British mid century oil painting by G. L. Worsley, signed and dated 1960.

Titled Metropolitan Night, the work depicts an abstracted urban landscape built up in thick, expressive passages of oil paint. Deep petrol blue forms the backdrop, punctuated by areas of black, grey and white and small flashes of vivid red. The heavily worked surface gives the painting a wonderful physical quality, with the architecture appearing to emerge from blocks of colour rather than being precisely described.

The composition feels unmistakably urban, suggesting illuminated buildings, reflections and fragments of signage seen at night. At the same time, the reduction of the scene into strong geometric forms gives it an almost completely abstract quality.

The painting feels particularly rooted in the post war period, when many British artists were experimenting with a more abstract way of representing landscape, architecture and the rapidly changing modern city.

Painted in 1960 and signed G. L. Worsley to the lower left.

Presented in a simple sapple wood box frame made in-house, which gives the work space and complements its strong mid century palette.

Artist: G. L. Worsley
Title: Metropolitan Night
Date: 1960
Medium: Oil on panel
Origin: British
Signed: G. L. Worsley, lower left
Period: Mid-20th century

A really atmospheric little painting, and one that sits particularly well alongside mid century furniture, ceramics and lighting.