I am drawn in by Riopelle’s thick paint application that creates a tactile surface, tempting the viewer (me) to touch it! 

The palette knife strokes are a mix of order and spontaneity. “Polyvalencia” dates to a key period in the artist’s life – just as he was moving away from his structured “mosaic” compositions to more linear ones; this transition is apparent in the expressive painting.

I also find it noteworthy that during the time Riopelle completed “Polyvalencia” in 1961, he had recently started his romantic relationship with Joan Mitchell – the two shared an apartment in Paris, travelled throughout Europe, and influenced each other’s rapidly evolving work.

Katherine Meredith, Montreal Representative & Art Specialist. Contact Katherine at katherine@cowleyabbott.ca.

Working with both Canadian and International Art I’m always intrigued by the unspoken dialogue that can occur in work by artists of different nationalities who unlikely had any contact.

I was instantly drawn to the dynamic work by Jack Bush, Angry Man and saw the many similarities it has with Edouardo Kingman’s painting Figura, which will be offered in our June International Art auction.  Both artists have a very modernist approach to their subjects: the compact focus on single figures, the expressive lines and selective colour choices all come together to convey intense human emotions.

Perry Tung, Senior Canadian & International Art Specialist. Contact Perry at perry@cowleyabbott.ca.

Cowley Abbott’s Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian Art presents an impressive selection of historical, post-war and contemporary works by renowned Canadian artists. The catalogue offers a variety of landscapes depicting the range of Canadian terrain across the nation, from the Pacific to Atlantic and Arctic Coasts. Many of Canada’s most iconic landmarks and destinations are represented in works in the upcoming live sale.

Arthur Lismer and Gordon Appelbe Smith represent similar subjects of Western Canada through different stylistic approaches. Lismer’s more traditional oil The Pacific (lot 40) uses thick, choppy brushstrokes to capture an ominous mood before the impending storm.

By contrast, M.G.T. #4 (lot 25) by Smith presents a reductive and semi-abstract interpretation of the British Columbian coast. His subdued palette captures the subtleties of light and gentle movement playing on the water’s surface.

Moving north to Canada’s territories, we find Ted Harrison’s vibrant painting Discovery Day, Dawson City (lot 34), where Harrison depicts a weekend-long festival that occurs annually in Dawson City in early August.

Dorothy McCarthy’s sublime Arctic landscapes, such as lot 42, Along the Inland Passage, are considered the artist’s most desirable pictures. The large oil painting depicts part of a 1,500km long stretch of protected coastline that runs from Skagway, Alaska to the north, through British Columbia and ends in the south in Puget Sound, Washington.

The wide vistas of the Prairies are beautifully illustrated in Dorothy Knowles’ Wheat Fields (lot 88), which captures the fresh air and grand landscape of her home province of Saskatchewan. Also depicting the Prairies is lot 49, West Yellow Rough by renowned contemporary artist Ivan Kenneth Eyre. He is known for creating scenes from his imagination that are inspired by his surroundings in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Many excellent examples of the rural landscape and wilderness of Ontario are included in the Spring Live Auction. The iconic Niagara Falls are delicately painted in watercolours by Charles Jones Way in lot 58. The artist exemplified the trend towards naturalism during the 1860s and 1870s; Niagara Falls was also a popular subject by many Canadian and American painters of this period, as it epitomizes man’s encounter with the sublime.

Lot 32, Mill Lake, Parry Sound, executed by A.J. Casson in 1934, was painted during an important period for the artist, soon after the end of his association with the Group of Seven. This sweeping vista filled with rich colour, lush foliage and shimmering light showcases the picturesque land of Ontario cottage country.

In Quebec, AY Jackson’s Gatineau Hills (lot 75) presents a charming winter scene of the farm country in the rural Gatineau region.

A more urban scene of Quebec is John Little’s Night, De La Roche Street, Montreal (lot 14). Little depicts the exterior spiral staircases that are quintessential to the Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood. The painting presents a charming and inviting scene of daily life in Montreal on a summer evening.

Venturing further up the St. Lawrence River, the picturesque hills of the Charlevoix region can be seen in lot 87 Crépuscule, Charlevoix by Clarence Gagnon, dating to 1923 while the painter was living in Baie-Saint-Paul.

And finally, representing the Maritimes in the Spring Live Auction are three charming works by Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis. Lot 85, Car Ride Through Town is likely based on memories from her first year of marriage. When Maud met Everett Lewis in 1938, the couple would venture out in his Ford Model T to sell fish around Digby County.

We invite you to view the full catalogue listing or set a preview appointment for Cowley Abbott’s Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian Art, for more landscapes as well as many other important artworks of different subjects. For questions or further information about the sale, do not hesitate to contact us at 1-866-931-8415 or info@cowleyabbott.ca.

This is one of the works in our Spring Live Auction that just keeps drawing my attention back in for another close look. Carmichael’s mastery of the medium is on full display here. The surface buzzes with autumn colours and the paint handling is both sensitive and confident. The best of the Group sketches have an incredible immediacy to them, a quality this work has in spades.

Learn more about this Franklin Carmichael oil painting at https://cowleyabbott.ca/artwork/AW40521. Included in our Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian Art on June 15th at Toronto’s Globe & Mail Centre!

Patrick Staheli, Art Specialist & Manager – Online Auctions. Contact Patrick at patrick@cowleyabbott.ca.

This won’t come as a surprise to you, but I see a lot of art. The special works I experience stay with me and the very special works are revisited in my memory time and time again.

Pegi Nicol MacLeod’s A Descent of Lilies in the National Gallery of Canada collection is one of those unforgettable pieces. I saw it at the McMichael’s exhibition of Uninvited: Canadian Women Artist in the Modern Moment.  To me, this masterpiece, was such a powerfully creative and beautiful work it outshone all the other paintings in the exhibition.  I was reminded of the experience recently when I saw another MacLeod painting which is included in our Live Auction of Important Canadian Art, June 15.

Jump Rope (lot 33), is a painting we sold to a collector during my time at Masters Gallery in Calgary. After enjoying this great work for many years, the B.C owner has decided to sell. During my time at the gallery in Calgary we sold several terrific MacLeod paintings that came to us out of the artist’s estate. Jump Rope was one of them. Not only is it one of the largest New York canvases I’ve seen, it also is one of the best examples from this period. The painting’s visual impact, composition and condition are extraordinary, and it is a treat to see it again. Jump Rope is one of my favourite paintings in the auction. Check it out online at https://cowleyabbott.ca/artwork/AW40773

Peter Ohler, Private Sales & Western Canada Representative / Senior Canadian Art Specialist. Contact Peter at peter@cowleyabbott.ca.