CC QMG RCA
1904 - 1990
Canadian
Gladys
oil on canvas
signed and dated 1966 and on verso titled
11 x 9 3/8 in, 27.9 x 23.8 cm
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD
Sold for: $58,500
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Montreal
LITERATURE
Anne Newlands, Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings, 2007, page 180
In the mid-1950s Jean Paul Lemieux began to paint solitary figures. At first, these were set in vast, austere landscapes and were often isolated and melancholy. He gradually began to focus more on the portrait itself, with a persistent interest in what he called “ the feeling of the generations”, in that whether past, current or future, human beings all have the same worries and hopes. Here, with classic Lemieux simplicity, he gives us Gladys. Set off from her environment through the strong colour contrast between her white dress and the red backdrop, Gladys is lost in herself. Her eyes look at us without focusing on us, as if she is trapped in a thought, which, while it brings an upturn to the corners of her mouth, does not make her fully smile. Perhaps she is waiting, or remembering, or wishing - Lemieux’s hints are few. Even the jaunty hat and crisp dress seem like afterthoughts to her, as she is entirely inside of herself. Quintessentially Lemieux, Gladys is a portrait of that elusive, indefinable “feeling of the generations”.
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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