Untitled

Between 1949 and 1950 Gear experimented with the black armature, which could be rigorously rectilinear, or crossed with diagonals. As with the present work, these armature paintings were dabbled with enclosed cloisonnaés of colour, usually with flashes of oranges, reds and yellows. It is likely that Gear was picking up on the formations found in medieval stained glass, Islamic rugs, and calligraphy. John McEwen notes however that Gear 'cited the structure of the Forth Bridge and the pitheads and dark woods of his Scottish youth, as well as war blasted landscapes, as formative' (J. McEwen, William Gear, Hampshire, 2003).
The three Cobra shows in which Gear appeared took place in 1949.