PROVENANCE
Dorothy Cameron Gallery, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
Robert Fulford, review, The Toronto Star, March 3, 1962

By his mid-30s Ronald Bloore had achieved an estimable reputation as a scholar, museum director, educator and founding member of the Regina Five group of painters. His work had been acquired by the National Gallery of Canada as well as by private collectors, and he had represented Canada at the Bienal de São Paulo. Yet Bloore did not have his first solo exhibition until 1962, at Dorothy Cameron's Here and Now Gallery in Toronto. In a glowing review of that show, Robert Fulford described the works in words that stand the test of time: "With the greatest possible economy...Bloore's paintings achieve a classic elegance, commanding the walls on which they hang, filling the gallery with a unique strength. They have tension, grace and an exciting sense of urgency." The following year, time spent exploring Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Spain informed Bloore's palette and schemata thereafter, beginning with his near-white paintings in raised relief from 1963 to 1966, which incorporated cross-like and circular forms based on motifs from Byzantine, Sumerian and Egyptian art. Painting No. 9 is an exemplary example from this period.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars