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LOT 051

BCSFA CGP CPE OC RCA
1919 - 2020
Canadian

Rocks by the Shore
oil on canvas, circa 1960
signed and on verso signed, titled and inscribed with the artist's address
23 x 39 3/4 in, 58.4 x 101 cm

Estimate: $12,000 - $16,000 CAD

Sold for: $15,210

Preview at: Heffel Vancouver

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, British Columbia


In 1951, Gordon Smith expanded his artistic horizons in San Francisco at the California School of Fine Art. While there, he saw the work of Abstract Expressionist artists such as Elmer Bischoff, Clyfford Still and Richard Diebenkorn. A shift in Smith’s focus was triggered, and he began to revel in the physicality of paint. When he returned to Vancouver, the landscape reasserted itself, but through his newly developed modernist vocabulary. Smith recounts that Abstract Expressionism was not well known in the community at the time, other than within a core group of modernists such as B.C. Binning, Jack Shadbolt and Bruno and Mary Bobak, and initially his new direction was not generally understood. Rocks by the Shore, with its soft, expressionist brushwork and organic, earthy palette, is quite sensuous. Light tones in the rocks pop against deep velvety blacks and browns, and the whole image is a fluid semi-abstract evocation of its subject. Rocks by the Shore abundantly illustrates that painting has always been an ongoing process of change and experimentation with this pioneer Vancouver modernist.


Estimate: $12,000 - $16,000 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.