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LOT 130

CGP CSGA CSPWC
1882 - 1953
Canadian

Crossroads, Lake Placid
oil on canvas
signed and dated 1928 and on verso inscribed "29" (circled)
12 1/8 x 16 1/8 in, 30.8 x 41 cm

Estimate: $60,000 - $80,000 CAD

Sold for: $229,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Acquired from the Artist by Robert North, Buffalo, New York through Maulsby Kimball, 1931
Morris Gallery, Toronto, circa 1969
Laing Galleries, Toronto, 1969
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. William P. Wilder, Toronto

LITERATURE
David Milne Jr. and David P. Silcox, David B. Milne: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume 1: 1882 - 1928, 1998, page 444, reproduced page 444, catalogue #207.112


Snow coming, and the light cut down so that the darker shapes get little from the sky and in glaring contrast with the luminous snow. The arrangement – keeping the dark shapes mainly in one area – gives a simplicity one would not expect in subjects so strongly [emphasized?].

—David Milne

From 1924 to 1929, David Milne split his time between summers at Big Moose Lake, in upstate New York, where he was involved in building a tea house/cottage, and winters at Lake Placid, where he and his wife Patsy ran the tea house. This work schedule cut into his painting time, so much so that in the five years he spent at Big Moose Lake and Lake Placid, he produced less work than he had in 10 months in 1920.

Milne’s notes on this splendid painting give insight into his careful consideration of his compositional elements. Against the luminous snow, Milne’s exquisite tones of mauve-blue, brick and umber are particularly appealing. The electrical pole gives a dominant vertical shape to the landscape and balances the blackness of the trees at the right. The feeling of impending snow is marvellously atmospheric.

In spring of 1929, Milne came back to Canada after 26 years, first going to the woods of northern Ontario at Temagami and Weston, and he would not return to the United States.

For the biography on Mr. and Mrs. William P. Wilder in PDF format please click here.


Estimate: $60,000 - $80,000 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.