Waddington Galleries, London
Private Collection

St Ives, Downing's Book Shop, Barbara Hepworth, Peter Lanyon, Ben Nicholson, John Wells, July 1947;
London, Waddington Galleries, John Wells, September 1960, cat no.39;
St Ives, Tate, John Wells: The Fragile Cell, 2nd May - 1st November 1998, cat. no.24, illustrated p.41. 

Stable board. There are faint vertical surface cracks appearing in isolated areas, with three noticeable circular cracks appearing to the right hand pale blue element. Elsewhere there are flecks of white surface matter in one or two places and an area of reticulation to the white and green circle in the lower left quadrant. Elsewhere there is minor surface dirt, but this excepting the work appears in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals no obvious signs of fluorescence or retouchings. Housed behind glass in a sealed wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

‘Each stone when you consider it is shaped by elemental forces acting over countless ages on the inherent structure’ (Wells, quoted in Matthew Rowe, John Wells: The Fragile Cell, 1998, exhibition catalogue, p.14).

The influence of discussions with Gabo on the constructive elements in natural forms is evident in the evolution of the oval 🤪pebble or ‘triangular ellipse’ shape which was to appear so frequently in Wells’ work. The debt to Hepworth’s drawings and small-scale sculpture of this time is also apparent, but in creating this distinctively o꧙rganic and natural shape, Wells demonstrates his unique and personal response to the constructivist ideas of his contemporaries.

Shell Forms clearly shows a development of the oval shape most purely expressed in Blue Oval, 1946 (Private Collection, France). Shell Forms has a tactile and sculptural quality created by Wells through his use of shallow relief, texture and the sense of luminosity in the carefully chosen pigments. The gentle, smooth shapes and subtle hues of blue evoke in their harmony the ‘magical blue light’, ‘gleaming smooth round stones’ and ‘shining bones and shells’ so sensuously described in Well’s poem Blue Time (reproduced in Matthew Rowe, John Wells: The Fragile Cell, exh. cat.. St Ives,1998, , p. 6).