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LOT 078

ARCA OC OSA
1927 - 1977
Canadian

Ukrainian-Canadian Children Schoolbound, Stuartburn, Manitoba
mixed media on board
initialed and dated 1971 and on verso titled
20 x 28 1/2 in, 50.8 x 72.4 cm

Estimate: $30,000 - $35,000 CAD

Sold for: $76,050

Preview at: Heffel Vancouver

PROVENANCE
The Isaacs Gallery Ltd., Toronto
Private Collection, Ontario


In William Kurelek’s marvellous book A prairie boy’s winter, his dedication was “For everyone who ever spent a winter on the prairies - and for all the others who wonder what it was like.” Brought up on a Manitoba farm in a Ukrainian family, Kurelek knew the Prairie winter intimately, and his poignant and insightful works based on his childhood are an important part of his oeuvre. Although his childhood was challenging, his paintings of it are often idyllic. For the children, winters were not just a time of bitter cold and chores, but were filled with activities such as hockey played on home-made rinks. Inventive childhood games and, while on school recess, the carving of snowdrifts into elaborate tunnels and rooms. Kurelek’s school was a one-room building, its students children from Ukrainian, Mennonite and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. Here Kurelek depicts a winter day so white and snow-encrusted that the sky echoes the road, with the children’s bright clothes a strong contrast to the whiteout. This charming scene has an utterly natural quality, and draws us to it with its evocation of a simpler, more innocent time.


Estimate: $30,000 - $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.