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LOT 115

ARCA
1888 - 1970
Canadian

Grand orme, maison ancestrale
oil on board, 1939
signed and on verso titled on the labels
22 x 28 in, 55.9 x 71.1 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

Sold for: $79,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
A Prominent Corporate Collection, Montreal

LITERATURE
René Buisson, Marc-Aurèle Fortin: un maître inconnu, Musée Marc-Aurèle Fortin, 1995, titled as Maison ancestrale, reproduced page 145
Michèle Grandbois, editor, Marc-Aurèle Fortin: The Experience of Colour, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, 2011, essay by Richard Foisy, page 56

EXHIBITED
Musée Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Montreal, June 7 - September 6, 1994, catalogue #P500


Nature is sumptuous in Marc-Aurèle Fortin’s oeuvre, especially in his series of tall trees, which spanned the 1920s and 1930s. Throughout that period, his childhood village of Sainte-Rose and its huge elms provided much inspiration. Grand orme, maison ancestrale, a large oil on board dating from the late 1930s, is a remarkable example of his “symphonies in green,” as art critic Jean Chauvin called them. Lively brush-strokes, in varying shades of green from olive to moss, depict the lush foliage of the trees under which an ancestral house is tucked away. Touches of bright blue sky appear from underneath the white clouds, applied in expressive strokes. In this sea of cool greens and blues, the artist ingeniously added a figure painted in contrasting red and white. Juxtaposed with this petite woman, Fortin’s classic elms appear even more towering. The sense of wonder for nature and its mighty trees is palpable in his works and we are reminded of the childhood he knew in Sainte-Rose. Art historian Richard Foisy wrote: “The adult held the paintbrush, but it was the child who saw the world, and joy is not the least of the qualities seen in this body of work.”

This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work, #H-0531.


Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.