Artwork
The Triumph of Pan
The Triumph of Pan is a print by Leon Kossoff. It dates from 1998 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Leon Kossoff made prints instead of paintings. His 1998 etching *The Triumph of Pan* shows his usual focus on line, not color. He used the same method as his friends Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud.
Kossoff copied old masters like Poussin and Rembrandt. But his prints weren’t copies. They were his own study of their lines and shapes.
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Overview
Leon Kossoff’s 1998 etching *The Triumph of Pan* belongs to a series in which the artist re‑interpreted works by Old Masters through the medium of print. Rather than reproducing colour, Kossoff reduced the image to a network of lines, emphasizing the structural qualities of the original composition.
Subject & Meaning
The work references a classical scene associated with the god Pan, yet Kossoff’s treatment is not narrative but analytical. By stripping away decorative surface, he directs attention to the underlying form and gesture, inviting viewers to contemplate the essence of the source material rather than its mythological content.
Technique & Style
Employing traditional etching methods, Kossoff worked on copper plates, repeatedly re‑etching and pulling proofs to refine the line work. The process mirrors the draughtsmanship of his contemporaries such as Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud, and demonstrates his ongoing investigation of line as a primary expressive element.
History & Provenance
The initial proofs were produced in collaboration with artist Ann Dowker. Subsequent editions were printed by Marc Balakjian at Studio Prints, a workshop known for handling Kossoff’s print output. Multiple states of the plate survive, documenting the artist’s continual revisions even after an edition had been issued.
Context
In the late 1990s Kossoff turned to the canon of Poussin, Rembrandt and Veronese, not to create copies but to explore their compositional logic. His comment on the Poussin series—working “in the dark” and seeing only fleeting impressions—captures the investigative stance he adopted toward these historic works.
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.
