FIESTA III
oil on canvas
91 x 71cm; 36 x 28in
(unframed)

Painted in 1967.

Schlenker no. 209

The depiction of a central dancer surrounded by supporting characters is one of three sequential canvases Marie-Louise painted (see also Schlenker nos. 207 & 208). The work draws on the artist's memories of her trip to Spain the previous summer and her formative years in Germany where she was influenced by Max Beckmann (1884-1950) and was exposed to the Expressionism of such painters as George Grosz (1893-1950) and Otto Dix (1881-1969). Schlenker remarks of the subject: 'Although it is difficult to interpret and make sense of the individual scenes, the inherent danger, subtle threat and indefinable sinister undertones of the painting are inexplicably palpable' (Schlenker p. 358).