Lot 59: Milan Mrkusich Four Circles (Grey) acrylic on

Milan Mrkusich Four Circles (Grey) acrylic on board, four panels title inscribed, signed and dated 1977 verso Provenance: Private Collection, Wellington 600mm x 600mm per panel; 1200mm x 1200mm overall Four Circles (Grey) possesses Mrkusich's iconic form of the squared circle that first made its appearance in his paintings in 1963 with the Emblem paintings and then again in the Element paintings that followed. While his early use of the form is sometimes discussed in connection with Jungian symbolism, the artist considers he began painting it 'intuitively', that the initial references to be made were to the geometries of form alone. Mrkusich refined his earlier use of the squared circle in Four Circles (Grey), reworking it so that both the appearance of the painting and the title reveal his emphasis on the form itself. No longer does this painting refer to elements or emblems outside of the medium of painting, rather it is self contained, and as such can be considered more modernist in character. While this painting was made using four separate panels, Mrkusich worked specifically to provide his characteristic sense of wholeness in Four Circles (Grey). Our perception of the separation of the panels is muted: in the way the division between them is controlled, in the consistency of the colour of the stippled ground and in the repeated motif of the inscribed circle. Each tactic serves to provide a sense of unity that is emphasised by the small bevelled edge frame. The close mounting of each panel within the slight frame provides a cohesive element, in the form of a centrally articulated cross, one that ensures our perception of unity through the symmetry created from the interrelationship between each of the inscribed panels. This is emphasised by the soft shadowy nature of the 'gap', as unlike a hard-edged inscribed line, the soft effect works to bind rather than separate the panels. The rigorously controlled surface of the panels, each articulated with the same meticulously fine stippled colour and flawlessly inscribed pale circle, also acts to draw the panels together. The eye perceives the stippled ground of each panel as a single coherent ground, while the inscribed circles provide an interest that encourages a sense of comparison and association between the placement and perfect nature of each. It is Mrkusich's remarkable painting ability that enables him to maintain the consistency of colour and form in each of the separate panels that in turn provides the perception of wholeness in Four Circles (Grey). It is this ability and assuredness with the painted surface, his outstanding skill as an artist, that earned him the well-deserved award from the Arts Foundation in 2003, identifying and celebrating him as one of New Zealand's inaugural Living Icon Artists. Chrissie Craig