Tom Cross, Still life 'Egg and Window', 1979

Additional Information:

In this abstract colour block still life, titled 'Egg and Window', the colours contradict both the real world and the parameters of reality set within the composition, making it a peculiar case of the artist's use of colour. The cross pattern of the window frame on the right uses the colours usually witnessed through the window: blue and turquoise. Instead, looking through the glass, we see fields of brown, yellow and red. The warm tones of yellow, beige and orange on the upper left of the composition seem to convey sunlight entering through the window and radiating through the room, however, the dark brown sky seen through the window and reflected in the spherical 'egg' contradicts this warm brightness. Ties with reality are not fully severed in this work and it represents a particularly recognisable stage in the artist's career - the years 1979 and 1980 - defined by organic abstraction and vibrant use of colour.