Artwork
Christ Church, Autumn
Christ Church, Autumn is a print by Leon Kossoff. It dates from 1990 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
He kept changing the image even after printing started, always aiming for the right feel.
Leon Kossoff’s *Christ Church, Autumn* is a print from 1989-92. It shows his usual focus on cityscapes, here a London church in fall. Printmaking let him push his skill with line.
Kossoff often reworked his prints over and over. He kept changing the image even after printing started, always aiming for the right feel.
His later etchings copied old masters like Poussin. That’s how he studied their work without copying their colors.
Look up Kossoff, Leon.
Overview
Leon Kossoff’s *Christ Church, Autumn* is a print produced between 1989 and 1992. The work depicts a London church surrounded by the muted tones of the fall season, reflecting the artist’s sustained interest in urban scenes and his commitment to exploring line through the medium of printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a familiar ecclesiastical structure set against a cityscape softened by autumnal foliage. By removing colour, Kossoff emphasizes the architectural form and the atmospheric qualities of the season, inviting viewers to consider the interplay between built environment and natural change.
Technique & Style
Kossoff approached the print as a draughtsman, using etching to investigate the possibilities of line. Multiple states of the plate reveal a process of continual revision, with the artist re‑working details even after the first impressions were taken, seeking a precise visual balance.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1990s, the print belongs to a period when Kossoff was expanding his print practice alongside his painting. The edition was printed by Marc Balakjian at Studio Prints, a workshop with which Kossoff frequently collaborated for his later etchings.
Context
Kossoff’s print aligns with the broader trajectory of post‑war British figurative art, sharing concerns with contemporaries such as Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud. Like them, he used printmaking not merely for reproduction but as a means to deepen his investigation of form and gesture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Leon Kossoff (10 December 1926 – 4 July 2019) was a British figurative painter known for portraits, life drawings and cityscapes of London, England.
