Sold for: $28,125

PROVENANCE
Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Private Collection, Vancouver
Fine Canadian Art, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, November 6, 1997, lot 39
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Winnipeg

There is possibly no better way to understand the distinctive vision of Arthur Lismer than through his tangled compositions such as this one, which, in their own unique way, bridge the gap between landscape and still life. Although the vibrancy of colour is at the forefront of these works, they are perhaps best viewed in relation to the artist’s fluidly mobile sense of line. Lismer was a remarkable draughtsman, and his drawn line is an essential aspect of these paintings, providing structure and order to compositions that might, in another artist’s hands, tumble into chaos. Each element of the scene is given its own place and character, with palette and form balanced in lively decorum.

Lismer was regularly attracted to this compositional approach, and he employed it throughout his peripatetic travels that criss-crossed the country. While his friends and artist compatriots would position themselves facing the expansive vistas of the Rocky Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean or Georgian Bay, Lismer would instead, perhaps with a bemused expression, turn around, lower his gaze, and capture a contrary yet complementary facet to the beauty of the natural world.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars