Vendu pour : 67 250 $

PROVENANCE
Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Warwick Gallery, Vancouver
Masters Gallery Ltd., Calgary
Private Collection, Calgary

EXPOSITION
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canadian Artists in Paris and the French Influence, October 16, 1999 - January 3, 2000

In January 1890, freshly arrived in Paris, James Wilson Morrice registered at the Académie Julian; he lasted two months. The information form he filled out for the National Gallery of Canada adds that he also studied with Henri-Joseph Harpignies, but we do not know when, or for how long. Harpignies is known for his quiet landscapes of rivers and meadows, where humans (and their constructions) rarely interfere. Morrice followed this composition pattern for a while, especially in works done in North Wales in 1892.

A few months later, this study of a strong tree (an oak?) shows that the young artist was progressing at a fast pace. The touch is still broad, but totally controlled; the palette is widened, with delicate accents of red now complementing the green, and, showing supreme refinement, the signature is in the same dark green as the tree. The young Canadian artist is ready to leave his old master behind, but for many years he will never forget to add a little touch of red, a trick that Harpignies had learned by studying the works of Camille Corot.

We thank Lucie Dorais for contributing the above essay. This work will be included in Dorais’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work.

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