AUDACIOUS ART: ALPINES TO ABSTRACTS

AUDACIOUS ART: ALPINES TO ABSTRACTS

Robert Ford Gagen Rocky Mountain River Valley 1910 watercolour (Masters Gallery, Vancouver)

Kathleen Munn Untitled circa 1926-28 oil on canvas (National Gallery of Canada)

It is hard to believe that only 15 years separate the dates of creation between the Robert Ford Gagen painting and the Kathleen Munn painting above. Given the far slower pace of global trends in the history of Western art up until around 1900, it is even still unbelievable that only 60 years separates the well honed abstract paintings of Jean-Paul Riopelle in the 1950s and other romantic realist landscapes done by artists in the same manner as Gagen in the late 19th century.

The avant-garde and young genre of abstract art arose in the beginning of the 20th century and in just a few decades the popularity of highly realistic landscapes was being replaced by the popularity of non-representational art. Even today one might deem the realistic landscapes of Canada’s academic painters as being traditional and composed versus abstract painting as avant-garde and edgy.

Jean-Paul Riopelle Printemps 1952 oil on canvas 13.5 x 9 in. (Past highlight at Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith View from Second Beach, Stanley Park 1889 watercolour (Masters Gallery, Vancouver)

In late 19th century Canada, the artists who rose to prominence typically held membership with the Royal Canadian Academy of Art and were stylistically conservative and technically proficient. Artists such as Frederic Bell-Smith, Thomas Fripp, Mower Martin, Frederick Verner, Marmaduke Matthews and Lucius O'Brien followed landscape romanticism, painting in a realistic manner not unlike that which had been most prevalent in academic art circles in Europe earlier in that same century.

Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith (RCA) Westminster Abbey, Evening after the Rain watercolour (Past highlight, Masters Gallery, Calgary)

John Robert Cozens (British) View in the Isle of Elba 1780-89 watercolour (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

Hans Gude (Norwegian) Vinterettemiddag 1847

Caspar David Friedrich (German) Der Watzmann circa 1825 oil on canvas (Alte Nationalgalerie)

The Royal Academic artists at the closing of the 19th and opening of the 20th centuries were ideal for participating in journeys on the Canadian Pacific Railway to promote the west through painting. Many academic artists came to the Prairies, the Rockies and eventually to the West Coast to sketch and paint artistic renditions of the landscape. These paintings were popular at annual Royal Canadian Academy exhibitions and other exhibitions of importance, and remained so into the first few decades of the 20th century. This popularity was steadfast enough that shades of this academic landscape tradition were still lingering when abstract art came to Canada.

Lucius O'Brien (RCA) Portaging in the Rockies watercolour (Past highlight, Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Thomas Mower Martin (RCA)Marion Lake on Mount Abbott watercolour (Past highlight at Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Frederick Verner Indians, Fog Bound 1905 (Masters Gallery, Vancouver)

Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith Alert Bay, British Columbia 1907 oil on panel (Past highlight at Masters Gallery, Vancouver)

Frederick Verner Sunset, Sioux Indians Encampment at Red River 1904

The representational art of the Academicians was still popular and the Group of Seven was still relatively innovative when artist Kathleen Munn began experimenting with abstraction in circa 1926-28. The art scholar Roald Nasgaard wrote:

It was essentially to [Munn’s] lone credit that modernist-inspired works had a presence on the Toronto art scene during the 1920s in the group exhibitions of the Royal Academy and the Ontario Society of Artists and at the CNE, which were the most important venues of the time in Toronto.

Kathleen Munn The Dance circa 1923 (Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto)

JEH MacDonald Near Mount Goodsir, circa 1927 oil on panel (Past highlight of Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Thomas Mower Martin Autumn Birch 1926

Nasgaard commented that Munn's attempts were evident in her time too, because a contemporary review of an RCA exhibition in the Toronto Mail and Empire read that, “Miss Munn has made the first Canadian attempt, so far as local exhibitions are concerned at futuristic painting, with a cubist suggestion.” There are a selection of other artists whom engaged in sporadic experimentation with abstraction around this time, such as Henrietta Shore and Bertram Brooker.

Bertram Brooker Ascending Forms circa 1929 oil on canvas (National Gallery of Canada)

Another often-overlooked pioneer in the genre in Canada was Lowrie Warrener. Warrener was also a sophisticated representational artist working in an innovative neo-impressionistic style of his own, contemporaneous to the Group of Seven. He experimented with flat patterned heavily abstracted scenes; such as The Bumble Bee. I believe Warrener was a talented artist for his time in Canada.

Lowrie Warrener Heat, Skeena River Valley 1931 oil on panel (Past highlight, Masters Gallery, Vancouver)

Lowrie Warrener The Bumble Bee 1925 oil on board (The National Gallery of Canada)

After this initial phase of abstraction, amongst the next prominent artists to try their hands at it were Lawren Harris and Jock MacDonald in the 1930s. They produced orderly geometric abstract work that owed much to a combination of influences, such as cubism, constructivism, futurism and art deco principles.

Jock MacDonald began to experiment with abstract art in the mid 1930s after pondering what the importance of representational art was in current times. He credits tutelage under Frederick Varley in the late 1920s and early 1930s for imaginative inspiration, and himself was interested in spirituality not unlike Varley’s Group of Seven comrade, Lawren Harris.

Lawren Harris Painting no. 4 circa 1939 oil on canvas (Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto)

JWG (Jock) MacDonald Fall (Modality 16) 1937 oil on canvas (Vancouver Art Gallery)

Thus when Harris moved to Vancouver in 1940, he and Jock acquainted and became fast friends with similar ideas about non-representational art. They were not the only artists to venture into abstract painting at this time, but they typically come up for comment more often.

Next of course come Quebec’s Les Automatistes late in the 1940s. Canada went from being behind in avant-garde painting to suddenly having a group of World leaders at the forefront of the evolution of abstract painting by mid-century. Quebec stays in the limelight for the next stage of abstract painting a decade later with Les Plasticiens and their contemporaries.

Jean-Paul Riopelle Folatre 1957 oil on canvas (Past highlight at Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Paul-Emile Borduas Composition in Black and White 1956 oil on canvas (Past highlight of Masters Gallery, Calgary)

The daredevil quality of many lyrical and hard edge geometric abstract art isn’t always just visual in nature, as often abstract art movements are accompanied by vehemently edgy rhetoric of beliefs about their painting goals (such as Les Automatistes “Refus Global” and “the Manifeste des Plasticiens”)

All of these characteristics provide early abstract painting with an audacious aura. Synonyms for "audacious" that might be equally fitting for describing any number of early abstract art movements are: gutsy, nervy, brave, foreword, bold, cheeky, adventurous, and as seen above daredevil and edgy.

Words that might instead be linked to the more traditional appearing realist landscapes, such as alpine scenes of the Rocky Mountains or Indian camps at sunset might be: serene, delicate, romantic, refined, traditional, classical, conventional, or much more.

However, when I thought about Canadian artists who were “audacious,” I personally felt that I had to consider most of the academic romantic artists discussed earlier also as “audacious.” There audacity may not be evident in the appearance of the paintings, but through the artists' adventurous personalities. These artists were not painting scenes of towering snow-covered alpines, glaciers, dense forests, and native Indian encampments from the comfort of their living rooms. It was necessary to trek out into the wilderness (sans cell phone, bug repellent and mountain resorts) in all conditions in order to capture the essence of the subject. Wandering into the formidable Canadian wilderness on foot at the turn of the century burdened with all the painting equipment in a rather amenity-free era seems sufficiently daredevil and brave to me.

Thomas Fripp (RCA) The Wenkchemna Glacier 1925 watercolour (Past highlight at Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith Selkirk Mountains (Past highlight at Masters Gallery)

Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith In the Rockies (Past highlight of Masters Gallery, Calgary)

Despite the vast stylistic differences between romantic academicians and abstract artists, in my opinion both share something in common: they are bold, edgy and gutsy minded souls in one-way or another. From the alpine views of the Rocky Mountains to the painterly non-representational work in Quebec, Canada has its fair share of "audacious" artists of an excellent calibre.

BY: JILL TURNER

Note: Masters Gallery Vancouver is seeking Canadian romanticist landscape paintings for an upcoming exhibition in the fall of 2014. If you have a painting that you think might be suitable and are interested in having it included in the exhibition and sale please do not hesitate to contact us. Examples of artists we are looking to include are Lucius O'Brien, Thomas Fripp, Robert F. Gagen, T. Mower Martin, Marmaduke Matthews, Frederic Bell-Smith, Frederick Verner, Otto Jacobi, and their contemporaries. jillturner@shaw.ca or peterohler@shawcable.com

W.J. PHILLIPS TOP TWENTY COUNTDOWN

W.J. PHILLIPS TOP TWENTY COUNTDOWN

W.J. Phillips woodblock prints have always been popular with Masters Gallery and friends. Phillips is doubtless Canada’s artist who was most proficient at woodblock printmaking. His skillfully executed oeuvre of woodblock prints are an excellent choice for anyone wanting to collect Canadian art, as they were made in editions ranging from 5 to 150 of each. Multiple editions of each work of art makes availability greater and thus prospect of amassing the particular images one wants (or all of them) becomes a real possibility. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this means Phillips woodblock prints are not original art. The making of each woodblock print is done completely hands-on by the artist (just as much so as an oil painting) and is both difficult and laborious. These prints resemble nothing of the type produced in very large editions, or unlimited editions, with en mass technological printing processes. To prove this point further, note that because each edition is individually pulled from the woodblocks by the artist, none are identical. Each impression will vary in colour and clarity as seen by two editions of Morning below.

Two different editions of Phillips' Morning, edition of 150, 1924

Because collecting Phillips’ woodblock prints is actually feasible, many people become very enthusiastic about which ones they would like and what they want to acquire next. Some collectors choose to stick to prints of a specific location, such as Lake of the Woods, The Rockies or the West Coast. Other collectors choose to have their collections represent a variety, or selection of everything Phillips did.

Most collectors might consider a select few works more desirable to collect than others, as they can be singled out as his masterpieces. Phillips fans could probably agree quite closely as to which would comprise the artist’s top five woodblock prints. The top five are in fact so desirable that there can often be waiting lists of prospective buyers interested in acquiring the next edition that comes available for private sale. Naturally, this also means that when the top works come available at auction there are always bidding wars and prices are therefore significantly higher in price than Phillips’ other works. This does not mean that Phillips other woodblock prints are not also attractive; Phillips was a very talented artist after all.

Phillips executed nearly 150 colour woodblock prints over the course of his career, most of which are exceptional works of art. So after the top five, what do collectors desire next? There is a wide range in price having to do with various factors like size, subject matter/ location, level of detail, edition clarity, and so forth.

Masters Gallery buys and sells Phillips work with great regularity, and is thus familiar with which works are typically encountered, requested and favoured most. We decided to make a list of the Phillips’ woodblock prints that are cherished by collectors beyond the top five obvious examples. We came up with our top twenty list, with a specific order for the top ten and no specific order for the remaining ten (personal opinion and taste make this subjective) I for one found it difficult to narrow down a list of my favourites, having at least another dozen prints that could easily usurp others in the top twenty.

After compiling our list of what we thought ought to constitute Phillips’ top twenty woodblock prints, we decided to see how close we were to a more definitive list. By looking at the top prices for Phillips’ prints through online databases for auction price records. Interestingly, our list was close to the order of official sales prices at auction for the top ten. It is worth mentioning that Phillips’ woodblock prints have always sold often through private sale in retail art galleries across the country as well, and therefore the auction sales results are not completely gospel. Everyone’s list will vary a little bit. Have a go at compiling your own top ten or twenty, we would love to hear your opinions (jillturner@shaw.ca) If you need help remembering all the prints you can visit a website devoted to his complete graphic works here to refresh your memory of all the prints.

Here is our top ten:

1. Karlukwees, edition of 100, 1929

2. York Boats, edition of 150, 1930

3. Summer Idyll, edition of 100, 1926

4. Mamalilicoola, edition of 100, 1928

5. Jim King’s Wharf, edition of 100, 1927

6. Norman Bay, Lake of the Woods, 1920, edition of 50

7. Indian Days, Banff, edition of 100, 1950

8. Gloaming, edition of 50, 1921

9. Hnausa, edition of 100, 1934

10. Temple Lodge, edition of 100, 1943

And our remaining top eleven through twenty:

Jack Pine, Lake Lilies, Howe Sound, Mount Torrent, Sharp’s Dock, Flying Island, Bather No. 2, Duck Hunter, West Road (Mountain Road) and Poplar Bay.

For interests sake here are the top ten by selling price:

1. Karlukwees

2. Mamalilicoola

3. Summer Idyll

4. York Boats

5. Jim King’s Wharf

6. Indian Days, Banff

7. West Road (Mountain Road, edition of 100, 1942

8. Sharp’s Dock, Pender Harbour, edition of 100, 1952

9. Gloaming

10. Howe Sound, edition of 100, 1935

Here are image of the top ten

Karlukwees 1929

York Boats 1930

Summer Idyll 1926

Mamalilicoola 1928

Jim King's Wharf 1927

Norman Bay, Lake of the Woods 1920

Indian Days, Banff 1950

Gloaming 1921

Hnausa 1934

Temple Lodge 1943

West Road (Mountain Road)1942 (auction top ten, our top twenty)

Sharp's Dock, Pender Harbour 1952 (auction top ten, our top twenty)

Howe Sound 1935 (auction top ten, our top twenty)

Don't forget to send us your list to jillturner@shaw.ca or peterohler@shawcable.com Hope you enjoyed the blog.

BY: JILL TURNER (with enthusiastic input by Peter Ohler)

PAINTERLINESS: BEAUTY IN ABSTRACTION

PAINTERLINESS: BEAUTY IN ABSTRACTION

One of my favourite aspects of abstract painting is the ‘painterly’ quality that is characteristic of some of the earlier abstract art movements in Canada, especially les automatistes. ‘Painterly’ can be defined broadly as being “characterized by qualities of colour, stroke, or texture perceived as distinctive to the art form of painting, especially the rendering of forms and images in terms of colour or tonal relations rather than of contour or line.” Les Automatistes, such as Paul-Emile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle or Marcelle Ferron, impress me through their uncanny ability to harmonize pure texture and colour without representation. This mastery of composition makes for delicious eye candy. I could stare at segments of a Riopelle or Borduas canvas for ages, as the paintings are visually sumptuous with their build up of ridges, craters, troughs, canyons, clumps, chunks and mountains of paint with more than satisfactorily aesthetic colour combinations.

Paul-Emile Borduas Composition in Black and White 1956 oil on canvas and three details of paint (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

Jean-Paul Riopelle Ragale 1957 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

Marcelle Ferron Ombre et voyage 1962 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

There is thought-provoking purpose and reasoning behind the creation of these ‘automatic’ and spontaneous works of art, but more often than not I find myself casting aside inner meaning in favour of simply enjoying the visual appeal of automatiste paintings. I marvel at these artists' ability to make harmonious compositions in a “wow how did they do that” sort of way, not unlike I would for the trapeze act in Cirque du Soleil! I often fret that I do not approach the work of Canada’s modern abstract art movements with enough intellectual insight. However, perhaps my love of the ‘painterliness’ of Riopelle or Borduas' work suggests otherwise. In fact, the term ‘painterly’ or ‘painterliness’ (or even post-painterly abstraction) actually is a source of intellectual discussion regarding the type of spontaneous and non-premeditated art that les automatistes, abstract expressionists, or tachisme artists engaged in.

Jean-Paul Riopelle Bourasque 1956 and Folatre 1957 oil on canvases (Past highlights sold at Masters Gallery)

Marcelle Ferron Abstract Composition 1960 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

The renowned and influential art critic Clement Greenberg referred to ‘painterly’ as being “painting built-up of the strokes and streaks left behind by the movements of the brush or knife.” Greenberg’s awareness of ‘painterly’ qualities in non-representational art led him to coin the term ‘post-painterly abstraction’ in reference to the following wave of abstract art that moved away from expressionism’s impulsive placement of texture and colour in paint.

Jean-Paul Riopelle Bleury 1957 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

Frank Stella (American) Harran II 1967 (Post-Painterly Abstraction)

Greenberg was not the first to utilize the term ‘painterly'; it can even be applied to earlier movements of representational art such as impressionism. The term is derivative of the German concept of ‘malerisch’ (painterly) which classifies painting that is “opposite of linear, plastic or formed linear design.” The term was disseminated by Swiss art historian Heinrich Wolfflin (d. 1945)

Armand Guillaumin (French)Moret-sur-Loing 1902 oil on canvas (Collection of the Tate Gallery, London)(example of painterly strokes in impressionism)

Willem Heda (Dutch, 1593-1680) Breakfast Piece Still Life (example of painting formed with controlled linear design)

The concept of painterliness surfaced again in conjunction with ‘action painting,’ which was defined by another art critic Harold Rosenberg in 1952. Rosenberg as well as Clement Greenberg and abstract expressionists, such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, all advocated that ‘action painting’ was “an arena which to come to terms with the act of creation.” Rosenberg emphasized ‘action paintings’ as being the finished product left behind from the act of painting itself, which was the ultimate work of art in the whole process.

Jackson PollockNumber 3 1948 (Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles)

Willem de KooningExcavation 1950 (Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago)

Jackson Pollock in the "act of painting" in 1950 (Action Painting)

Painterly gestures are created during the “act of the painter,” whom makes various movements that lead to paint applications of varying formation. ‘Action painting’ shares close ideas and practices with les automatistes in that works of art were to be created with no preconceived notions, whereby unconscious and instinctive feelings were to be the driving force behind spontaneous and impulsive placement of paint. Les Automatistes were a group of painters that were avant-garde and at the very forefront of the art world even on a worldwide scale. It has been argued that these Quebecois painters were the first organized group of lyrical abstract painters (and not those from prominent art centres such as New York or Paris). They created and printed a manifesto called the Refus Global. Although most of les automatistes would have been familiar with the Parisian and New York art scenes as well.

Paul-Emile Borduas Blancs Metaux 1955 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

Jean-Paul Riopelle Bijoux Broyes oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

Marcelle Ferron Sans Titre 1959 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)

I am glad to say that when I merely enjoy the ‘physical remnants of a spontaneous act of creativity' (aka 'a painting'), I am actually considering the same things that the art critics were by drawing attention to the painterly qualities of abstract painting. On that note, I will leave off with a quote from Paul-Emile Borduas himself about the simple pleasures offered by a painting.

The essential beauty of an art work is made up of nothing but its song.

- Paul-Emile Borduas

BY: JILL TURNER

Paul-Emile Borduas The Absurd City 1949 oil on canvas (Past highlight sold at Masters Gallery)