Printed and Published by

Royal College of Art, London

There were also 10 artist's proofs.

Dimensions

79 × 59 cm (31 × 23¼ in.)

Literature

Dominic Kemp. Terry Frost Prints: Catalogue Raisonné. No. 92.

Provenance

Private Collection, Aventura, Florida.

Formerly the property of the Everson Museum of Art, sold to benefit the museum's acquisition fund.

Exhibited

Kelpra Studios: The Rose and Chris Prater Gift – Artists' Prints, Tate Britain.

Condition

A small soft crease at the upper right corner. Otherwise an exceptionally fresh impression with vibrant colours and in excellent overall condition.

Catalogue Note

Executed in 1987, Suspended Red, Yellow and Black is an outstanding example of Sir Terry Frost's mature abstract style, in which colour, rhythm and geometry combine to create compositions of remarkable visual energy and balance. One of the leading figures of the St Ives School, Frost developed a uniquely personal form of abstraction inspired by the landscape, light and atmosphere of Cornwall, translating his direct experience of the natural world into bold arrangements of shape and colour.

Although entirely abstract, Frost consistently maintained that his paintings and prints were rooted in observation. Rather than depicting the landscape literally, he sought to express its sensations through the interaction of colour and form. The floating arcs, circles and suspended geometric elements found throughout his work evoke sunlight, harbour walls, sails, horizons and the movement of the sea, while remaining open to the viewer's own interpretation.

In Suspended Red, Yellow and Black, the vibrant primary colours appear to hover within the pictorial space, creating a dynamic equilibrium between tension and harmony. The bold simplicity of the composition conceals a highly sophisticated understanding of spatial relationships and colour interaction, reflecting Frost's belief that colour itself could generate movement, emotion and rhythm.

The print was produced at the Royal College of Art, whose printmaking workshops played an important role in British graphic art during the latter half of the twentieth century. Issued in a small edition of only seventy-five impressions, it demonstrates the exceptional quality of Frost's screenprints, in which crisp colour fields and precisely balanced forms retain all the freshness and immediacy of his paintings.

The present impression also benefits from distinguished provenance, having formerly belonged to the Everson Museum of Art before being sold to benefit the museum's acquisition fund. It was also included in the important exhibition Kelpra Studios: The Rose and Chris Prater Gift – Artists' Prints at Tate Britain, celebrating the achievements of one of Britain's most influential print workshops.

Combining vibrant colour, elegant abstraction and impeccable provenance, Suspended Red, Yellow and Black is a superb example of Terry Frost's mature graphic work and of the enduring legacy of the St Ives School.