Peter Lanyon Christmas Card c.1960

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1961, Peter Lanyon

A gift from the artist to the artist Karl Weschke, Christmas 1961.

A signature reading ‘Lanyon 61’ is faintly visible in the bottom right-hand corner.

This is a delightful object. It is a colour panoramic postcard of a beach in Cornwall (PS0909 Newcolour) printed by Dennis Productions (ETW Dennis). Colour postcards were printed by this company from the 1960’s. The image of a panoramic St. Ives beach scene has been overpainted, in what appears to be a liquid oil based paint, by the artist to produce an abstracted image of a landscape. It plays with the notion of visual references and abstracted composition. It is indicative of Lanyon’s approach to the found object, collage, and abstraction.

‘I paint the weather and high places where solids and fluids meet.’ Peter Lanyon 1964.

The card reads “A rebellious New Year and a Rabelaisian Christmas to Carl from Shelia and Peter” and was given in the early 1960’s to Karl Weschke, as a Christmas card. This informal exchange of ‘cards’ was quite common in artistic communities. It is a fantastic object.

The card is in reasonable condition for its age, having been treated as a friendly token of affection rather than a valuable treasure, and will probably have been propped on a mantlepiece or other household surface in the cottage Weschke rented at Tregerthen, just below the Eagle’s Nest. It has at some point been folded at the centre, probably when originally sent in an envelope, and the fold mark is still visible. However, the card has been stored flat for more than 50 years, and lies flat now. The card bears a few superficial scuffs or marks, but is otherwise integral and perfectly sound. This is an original and unique artwork by Peter Lanyon with the added character of personal history

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A letter of provenance can be provided to accompany the piece, from the Weschke family.