Fine Canadian Art Spring 2003 Live auction

Lot # 154

Emily Carr
BCSFA RCA 1871 - 1945 Canadian

Westcoast Seashore
oil on paper on board circa 1935
signed
22 x 36 in  55.9 x 91.4cm

Provenance:
Theresa Svenciski, Victoria (Emily Carr's typist in the 1930s)
By descent to a Private Collection, Vancouver
Private Collection, California

Emily Carr frequently painted the shoreline near her home in Victoria, including views from the southern tip of Vancouver Island looking towards the Olympic Mountains. Water is often present in her oil on paper paintings and in some canvases, but it is rare for water to be the main subject. This strong work seems to situate the viewer on the water and looking back toward land. Carr is clearly interested in the movement and variety of colour on the surface and the reflections of the forest. Indeed, the treatment of the land is almost summary, a few telling strokes to suggest foliage and the quickly drawn details of the logs on the beach. Westcoast Seashore shows Carr's free use of diluted oil paint on paper and her willingness to approach difficult and unusual compositional problems. The shimmering reflections in the water and sweeping brush-strokes of the foliage are offset by the stillness of the logs. The painting as a whole reflects Carr's belief in a vital life force animating all of nature.

Estimate: $40,000 ~ $50,000 CAD

Sold For: $40,250.00 CAD (including buyer's premium)