PROVENANCE
The Isaacs Gallery Ltd., Toronto
Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Rental and Sales, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

Graham Coughtry’s work explores various ideas related to the human figure—motion, shape and form, energy and action. The particular idea being explored is often alluded to in his titles. Here the "reclining, moving" figure seems as if it is rolling to one side, perhaps caught in the action of waking, perhaps sitting up from a prone position. In addition to their sense of energy, Coughtry’s figures are often emotionally charged. Here the feeling is one of languid relaxation as the reclining form seems to drip with drowsiness, caught in the effort of sleepy movement. The artist's unique observations on the figure are also insightful studies of the endlessly varied states of human emotion, as this languorous, dreamy figure demonstrates. The addition of blue accents the body’s movement and the feeling of rising up from a surface. Coughtry’s figures often seem suspended in mid-air, trapped in themselves rather than a setting of any sort, but the connection to a setting—as subtle as it is here—further emphasizes the feeling of rising up, as if the person has just been awakened.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars