St-Urbain
69.2 cms x 84.4 cms (27.25 ins x 33.25 ins)
Signed and dated 1927 and on verso inscribed on the frame "this painting has made the british empire tour, also exhibited at imperial gallery, london"
made in 1927
Lot offered for sale by Heffel, Vancouver at the auction event "Spring 2010 Live auction" held on Wed, May 26, 2010.
Lot 123
Lot 123
Estimate: CAD $300,000 - $500,000
Realised: CAD $614,250
Realised: CAD $614,250
Lot description - from the online catalogue*
Provenance:
Stevens Art Gallery, Montreal, acquired December 3, 1945 for $165
Estate of Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton, Montreal
Exhibitions:
Royal Institute Galleries, London, Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture by Artists of the British Empire Overseas, May 8 - 29, 1937, titled as Winter in the Hills, St. Urbain, catalogue #46
Dominion Gallery, Montreal, Montreal & 'Art Vivant': Canadian Masters of Painting, May 23 - June 12, 1992
Literature:
Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture by Artists of the British Empire Overseas, Royal Institute Galleries, 1937, page 16
Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton, Personal Art Collection Catalogue, reproduced, unpaginated, catalogue #R1
Notes:
Albert Henry Robinson's initial training as an illustrator and his exposure to the school of French Impressionism left an indelible mark on his life's work as a painter. If his mission was to depict the cheerful life of the people of Quebec at work and at play, coming and going in their small villages and towns, then he accomplished it with certainty. His love of the effects of light and the resulting joyous play of colour on the land, the rolling rhythm of landscape and a sense of the idyllic were his chief aims in all of his art. A painter who painted for sheer joy, it seems a great tragedy that his career ended in his prime because of crippling arthritis.
Robinson was an adopted son of Quebec, having been born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1881. He moved to Montreal in 1908 when he was in his late twenties, and was immediately smitten with the picturesque life of the people of the province. This theme would define his work. In Quebec he met William Brymner and Maurice Cullen, and in 1909 would begin to show with the Royal Canadian Academy, being elected to an associate membership in 1911 and full membership in 1920. Robinson met A.Y. Jackson in 1910 and traveled to France with him in 1911, where he saw works by the famous Impressionists. Jackson and Robinson painted together frequently after World War I, visiting the sketching locations now made famous by their works: St-Tite-des-Caps, Baie-Saint-Paul, as well as various regions of the St. Lawrence River and the Laurentians. They were lifelong sketching companions. In addition, Robinson is associated with the Quebec painters Clarence Gagnon, Randolph Hewton and Edwin Holgate, with whom he also sketched and exhibited.
Robinson's work is defined by a particular affection for snow, hence white is a predominant colour in his palette. He was in the habit of adding white to every pigment he worked with, only occasionally using his colours raw. The result is a pastel hue that runs consistently through his scenes. He perfected this palette, playing mauves off pale orange, pinks off pale green in a pleasing manner that recalls his impressionist roots. His talent as a master colourist is clear in this work, with its subtle play of pink and purple, grey and green, yellow and brown, all linked by the addition of white to the original raw pigment. The rolling road, which runs through the centre of the work from the upper left to the lower right, makes us feel as if we are standing on the hill in the near ground, looking over its edge at the quaint farms below. Shadows seem to melt and slide around the scene with lanquid tranquility. The lacy patterns of trees and fence posts contrast nicely with the squared shapes of the buildings, windows and rooftop ladders, yet the overall feeling is of fluid roundness.
Robinson was a contemporary of the Group of Seven, exhibiting as a guest alongside them in 1920, yet he did not seek attention through his association with them, preferring instead a quiet life where he could paint according to his own desires. He has often been called a painter's painter who found his life's greatest pleasure in the act of painting. He suffered a heart attack in 1930, which was complicated by the severe arthritis in his hands, and, tragically, he was left unable to paint as a result - thus mature oil on canvas works such as St-Urbain from 1927 are his most prized.
Stevens Art Gallery, Montreal, acquired December 3, 1945 for $165
Estate of Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton, Montreal
Exhibitions:
Royal Institute Galleries, London, Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture by Artists of the British Empire Overseas, May 8 - 29, 1937, titled as Winter in the Hills, St. Urbain, catalogue #46
Dominion Gallery, Montreal, Montreal & 'Art Vivant': Canadian Masters of Painting, May 23 - June 12, 1992
Literature:
Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture by Artists of the British Empire Overseas, Royal Institute Galleries, 1937, page 16
Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton, Personal Art Collection Catalogue, reproduced, unpaginated, catalogue #R1
Notes:
Albert Henry Robinson's initial training as an illustrator and his exposure to the school of French Impressionism left an indelible mark on his life's work as a painter. If his mission was to depict the cheerful life of the people of Quebec at work and at play, coming and going in their small villages and towns, then he accomplished it with certainty. His love of the effects of light and the resulting joyous play of colour on the land, the rolling rhythm of landscape and a sense of the idyllic were his chief aims in all of his art. A painter who painted for sheer joy, it seems a great tragedy that his career ended in his prime because of crippling arthritis.
Robinson was an adopted son of Quebec, having been born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1881. He moved to Montreal in 1908 when he was in his late twenties, and was immediately smitten with the picturesque life of the people of the province. This theme would define his work. In Quebec he met William Brymner and Maurice Cullen, and in 1909 would begin to show with the Royal Canadian Academy, being elected to an associate membership in 1911 and full membership in 1920. Robinson met A.Y. Jackson in 1910 and traveled to France with him in 1911, where he saw works by the famous Impressionists. Jackson and Robinson painted together frequently after World War I, visiting the sketching locations now made famous by their works: St-Tite-des-Caps, Baie-Saint-Paul, as well as various regions of the St. Lawrence River and the Laurentians. They were lifelong sketching companions. In addition, Robinson is associated with the Quebec painters Clarence Gagnon, Randolph Hewton and Edwin Holgate, with whom he also sketched and exhibited.
Robinson's work is defined by a particular affection for snow, hence white is a predominant colour in his palette. He was in the habit of adding white to every pigment he worked with, only occasionally using his colours raw. The result is a pastel hue that runs consistently through his scenes. He perfected this palette, playing mauves off pale orange, pinks off pale green in a pleasing manner that recalls his impressionist roots. His talent as a master colourist is clear in this work, with its subtle play of pink and purple, grey and green, yellow and brown, all linked by the addition of white to the original raw pigment. The rolling road, which runs through the centre of the work from the upper left to the lower right, makes us feel as if we are standing on the hill in the near ground, looking over its edge at the quaint farms below. Shadows seem to melt and slide around the scene with lanquid tranquility. The lacy patterns of trees and fence posts contrast nicely with the squared shapes of the buildings, windows and rooftop ladders, yet the overall feeling is of fluid roundness.
Robinson was a contemporary of the Group of Seven, exhibiting as a guest alongside them in 1920, yet he did not seek attention through his association with them, preferring instead a quiet life where he could paint according to his own desires. He has often been called a painter's painter who found his life's greatest pleasure in the act of painting. He suffered a heart attack in 1930, which was complicated by the severe arthritis in his hands, and, tragically, he was left unable to paint as a result - thus mature oil on canvas works such as St-Urbain from 1927 are his most prized.
Most realised prices include the Buyer's Premium of 18-25%, but not the HST/GST Tax.
(*) Text and/or Image might be subject matter of Copyright. Check with Heffel auction house for permission to use.
(*) Text and/or Image might be subject matter of Copyright. Check with Heffel auction house for permission to use.