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LOT 040

AANFM RCA
1923 - 1999
Canadian

Laque d'un pays vaste #9
acrylic on canvas
on verso signed, titled and dated 1972
40 x 40 in, 101.6 x 101.6 cm

Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 CAD

Sold for: $28,125

Preview at: Heffel North Vancouver Facility – by appointment only

PROVENANCE
Marlborough-Godard, Toronto
Private Collection, Ontario

LITERATURE
Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 2007, page 177


Montreal artist Jean McEwen was one of the most influential artists of his generation, known as a master colourist. In this sensuous and beautiful work, McEwen shows his command of colour and spatial dynamics. Using a format typical of this series from 1972, McEwen worked with a central square that hovers against a “frame” clouded with warm pink and copper tones against dark underpaint. The artist comprehended space entirely through colour - the central square pops forward but is dimensional within its field, and clouds of emerald and greenish-white paint float to the surface over bronze tones. Areas of opaque and transparent paint create contrast, and paler colours generate light. McEwen layered his pigment, as Roald Nasgaard described, “as if his surfaces had been formed, like the earth’s crust, of matter shaped by unseen geologies of folds and faults.” McEwen used titles for his works that suggest poetic associations rather than a literal translation. Laque d'un pays vaste #9, containing references to “lacquer” and “a vast country,” connects to both the materiality of the painting’s surface and Nasgaard’s concept of an abstracted geology, and it is a stunning example from this series.


Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 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.