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LOT 130

CAC RCA
1869 - 1937
Canadian

Symphonie pathétique
pastel on paper on card
bears signature
13 x 11 3/4 in, 33 x 29.8 cm

Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD

Sold for: $25,000

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Galerie Claude Lafitte, Montreal
Private Collection, Quebec

LITERATURE
Laurier Lacroix, Suzor-Coté: Light and Matter, National Gallery of Canada and Musée du Québec, 2002, the 1925 canvas entitled Symphonie pathétique, collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, reproduced page 299 and listed page 351, catalogue #130


Marc-Aurèle Suzor-Coté drew and painted from live models throughout his entire career. Nude studies were considered essential for any artist pursuing a formal education. At both the École des beaux-arts and the free academies in Paris, drawing from live models, both male and female, was a standard exercise. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the artist’s nudes from that period were destroyed by his family out of an excess of modesty.

As Sylvie Saint-Georges has shown, Suzor-Coté started looking for models in Montreal in the 1910s and began exhibiting nudes starting in 1915, including Douleur (in a private collection).[1] His work in this genre, which continued until his paralysis in 1927, can be divided into two categories. Some pastel nudes, with the model seen from the back, he made in his studio, with its furnishings and drapery visible. Other studies took a more expressive turn, with the artist creating a composition that would evoke an emotion or feeling. Placing his model in an unusual pose, Suzor-Coté imposed a romantic or symbolic character on the female nude.

The canvas Symphonie pathétique (1925, collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec) is Suzor-Coté’s last major achievement in this genre. The title is taken from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 6 in B Minor, imbuing the work with a tragic and moving quality. What could be simply a model at rest takes on a different meaning when the title is considered along with the movement of the intermingling shapes in the background.

As was usual for his practice, Suzor-Coté did multiple studies, in both charcoal and pastel, before beginning the final painting. Every aspect of what is found on the finished canvas was studied in this pastel. The artist was a master of the technique used to mark the outlines of a feature or to suggest flat areas of solid colour. The pastels are applied in layers and blended into the rich shades and delicate contours of flesh. The animated coloured masses in the background, where bright yellows and greens contrast with dark grey, amplify the movement of the model’s hair blowing in the wind. This restless atmosphere steers the viewer to a dramatic and poignant interpretation of the subject’s downcast posture.

We thank Laurier Lacroix, author of Suzor-Coté: Light and Matter, for contributing the above essay, translated from the French.

1. Sylvie Saint-Georges, “La réception critique des nus de Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté (1869–1937)” (thesis, Université du Québec à Montréal, 2005).


Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 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.