Blue on Violet
182.9 cms x 50.8 cms (72 ins x 20 ins)
On verso signed, titled and dated october 1966
made in 1966
Lot offered for sale by Heffel, Vancouver at the auction event "Fall 2014 Live auction" held on Thu, Nov 27, 2014.
Lot 034
Lot 034
Estimate: CAD $8,000 - $12,000
Realised: CAD $20,060
Realised: CAD $20,060
Lot description - from the online catalogue*
Provenance:
The Isaacs Gallery Ltd., Toronto
Kaspar Gallery, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Exhibitions:
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Wieland and Meredith, 1968, traveling to the University of Manitoba; Regina Public Library; Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; University of Sherbrooke; Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon; Sir George Williams University, Montreal; Memorial University of Newfoundland; and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, catalogue #19
John Meredith: A Retrospective, 1955 - 1990, Kaspar Gallery, Toronto, April 27 - May 16, 1991, catalogue #11
Literature:
Wieland and Meredith, National Gallery of Canada, 1967, listed
William Withrow, Contemporary Canadian Painting, 1972, pages 145 and 146
Notes:
In an insightful 1972 essay, William Withrow stated: "Meredith paints from his viscera, not from his head." Most other curators and critics have agreed over the years that John Meredith painted instinctively rather than with an intellectual or theoretical bent. Despite the encouragement of great teachers like Jock Macdonald and Meredith's admiration for the work of the Automatists, especially Paul-Émile Borduas, he remained true to his own visual language. Blue on Violet very clearly reflects how strongly Meredith's paintings are anchored in his drawings. Here we see how beautifully the artist could transform his small paper notations into larger images, in the feathered edges of the blue line born in the drawn impressions of wet India ink on paper. Although many of his paintings from this period feature rich primary reds and yellows, Meredith could confine his palette to this simple but original range of poetic, dreamy hues. The artist, a man of few words, wrote, "Art should always be a mystery. It isn't possible to totally explain any work of art, anyways, since it is this mysterious quality which makes art so beautiful."
The Isaacs Gallery Ltd., Toronto
Kaspar Gallery, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Exhibitions:
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Wieland and Meredith, 1968, traveling to the University of Manitoba; Regina Public Library; Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; University of Sherbrooke; Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon; Sir George Williams University, Montreal; Memorial University of Newfoundland; and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, catalogue #19
John Meredith: A Retrospective, 1955 - 1990, Kaspar Gallery, Toronto, April 27 - May 16, 1991, catalogue #11
Literature:
Wieland and Meredith, National Gallery of Canada, 1967, listed
William Withrow, Contemporary Canadian Painting, 1972, pages 145 and 146
Notes:
In an insightful 1972 essay, William Withrow stated: "Meredith paints from his viscera, not from his head." Most other curators and critics have agreed over the years that John Meredith painted instinctively rather than with an intellectual or theoretical bent. Despite the encouragement of great teachers like Jock Macdonald and Meredith's admiration for the work of the Automatists, especially Paul-Émile Borduas, he remained true to his own visual language. Blue on Violet very clearly reflects how strongly Meredith's paintings are anchored in his drawings. Here we see how beautifully the artist could transform his small paper notations into larger images, in the feathered edges of the blue line born in the drawn impressions of wet India ink on paper. Although many of his paintings from this period feature rich primary reds and yellows, Meredith could confine his palette to this simple but original range of poetic, dreamy hues. The artist, a man of few words, wrote, "Art should always be a mystery. It isn't possible to totally explain any work of art, anyways, since it is this mysterious quality which makes art so beautiful."
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.