"Silvered 2" is a wonderful example of the 'Egyptian Palette' that came to define Riley's work after a visit to the country in 1979-80. Referencing ancient tomb paintings and the local landscape, it represented a bolder approach to colour than she had previously explored and was a stepping-stone to the increasingly exuberant palette that would define her later work. Rather than copying exactly the colours she had encountered in Egypt, she worked from memory, basing the work upon sensation and feeling. By embracing the simplicity of the vertical stripe, Riley allowed the work to become a purely visual experience.
"Silvered 2" was printed in 1995 but dated 1981 by Riley to refer to the related painting "Silvered" made that year. The chronology of images that we use to chart the evolution of most artists does not apply to Riley. She has always considered her entire body of work to count as a single entity that exists outside of time, a corpus that she can delve back into at will in order to fuel new experiments.
In a really lovely touch, at the bottom left the artist has annotated the types of colours used and how many times they appear: "21 reds, 21 blues, 24 turquoises, 24 yellows, 9 blacks, 8 whites." You can't really tell from the digital image, but the white strips are areas where the paper has been left unprinted. It creates a palpable sense of movement that can only really be appreciated in the flesh.
Any questions? We are happy to help. Call: 0117 279 6402 or send us a message now.
