All texts copyright Richard Shillitoe
the three elements
c. 1940
Gouache and graphite on paper.
13½ x 9¾in. (35 x 25cm.) (ss)
Inscribed on the original frame: ‘Ithell Colquhoun’ together with the
title and ‘ca. 1940’. Since reframed and dated on unstated grounds
by Norris (2025) as 1941.
Provenance
NT D650.
Tate, presented by the NT in 1916. Acquisition number T15318.
Exhibited
Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, 2021.
St Ives, Tate St Ives, 2025, then London, Tate Britain, ill. col.
It might be said that the title is slightly misleading, as all the elemental colours are present. Elemental
water (blue) is present, if only as the background.
It is composed of green and red plant-like forms enclosing a bright yellow centre and set against the blue
background. The green and red forms create a circular pattern and emit tendril- or petal-like fronds that
give a spiralling effect. The forms also seem to reflect on the cyclical nature of life: the circular shape
appears to be in constant motion, with no apparent beginning or end.
Reference
Norris, K. (ed) Ithell Colquhoun: between worlds. London: Tate publishing. 2025.
