signed, stamped and dated lower right
Negev 1 (1979) was one of a series of works inspired by Derrick Greaves's visit to Israel in 1979. This visit was the result of an invitation to produce work for an exhibition to be held in Tel Aviv and England. On his visit Greaves stayed at Sde Boker, a kibbutz specialising in alternative technology, designed to make the desert more productive.
During walks alone through the desert, Greaves produced many rubbings of the natural landscape. He also visited the tomb of David Ben-Gurion, the former Israeli Prime Minister, where he produced rubbings of the stones on the grave. These rubbings are a direct reproduction of the combined naturalism and societal historicity of the place.
This particular crayon rubbing is the first in a large series and manages to evoke the sense of the multiple textures of the desert on a one dimensional plane. The image is emphasised through the additional linear contours, executed in a thicker and more constructed form, whilst still managing to retain the organic attributes. The contrast of the consistent textured surface and the formulated line drawings create the effect of an aerial image of the rocks set within the desert.
Provenance
Private Collection, London
Literature
James Hyman, Derrick Greaves:From Kitchen Sink to Shangri-La, Lund Humphries, London 2007, illustrated p.13.