Sold for: $15,000

PROVENANCE
Estate of Molly and Bruno Bobak, Fredericton, NB

LITERATURE
Molly Lamb Bobak, Wild Flowers of Canada: Impressions and Sketches of a Field Artist, 1978, page 8
Michelle Gewurtz, Molly Lamb Bobak: Life and Work, Art Canada Institute, https://aci-iac.ca/art-books/molly-lamb-bobak/key-works/interior-with-moroccan-carpet, accessed May 5, 2020

Joe Plaskett's Living Room is an exquisite combination of two of Molly Lamb Bobak’s favourite subjects: domestic interiors and still lives with fresh flowers. As the title indicates, this large oil on board depicts the living room of fellow painter and friend, Joseph Plaskett. They initially met in 1950, when Molly, her husband Bruno and their two children lived in France for a year. At the time, Plaskett lived in Paris. During their stay, Bobak was also exposed to the works of modernist painters such as Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Curator Michelle Gewurtz comments that ‘’Bobak’s interior scenes are the antithesis of her crowd scenes: devoid of people and lacking in movement, they are serene and quiet.’’ However, Bobak has suffused this work with a sense of energy created by her expressive brush-strokes. The floor and tables are rendered using a warm ochre yellow, reflecting the light coming into the room, and the curtains in the upper left corner are painted in rich magenta and pale yellow stripes. The red and pink fresh flower bouquet on the left becomes the focal point of the composition, balanced by the pale pink and orange one on the right. An expressionist rendering of surfaces and Bobak's interesting use of perspective, such as the tipping up of one of the tables and the diagonal direction of the floorboards, make this a fascinating interior. A dark figure is seen in the background, likely Plaskett himself, and is reflected in the mirror.

Joe Plaskett's Living Room is a remarkably intimate work, offering a glimpse into the domestic life of Plaskett, who once said of Bobak ‘’Art is her life and her expression. Life is celebrated…the drama is enacted.’’

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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