Drumbeat
119.4 cms x 127 cms (47 ins x 50 ins)
Signed and dated 1956
made in 1956
Lot offered for sale by Heffel, Vancouver at the auction event "Fall 2008 Live auction" held on Wed, Nov 19, 2008.
Lot 017
Lot 017
Estimate: CAD $60,000 - $80,000
Realised: CAD $163,800
Realised: CAD $163,800
Lot description - from the online catalogue*
Provenance:
Private Collection, New York
Re-acquired by the Artist from the above
Acquired directly from the Artist by the present Private Collection, Ontario
Exhibitions:
Riverside Museum, New York, 20th Annual Exhibition with Painters Eleven of Canada, American Association of Abstract Artists, April 8 - May 20, 1956, catalogue #21, exhibited with Central Black
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canadian Abstract Paintings, 1956, circulated to 10 American museums by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1956 - 1957, catalogue #33, exhibited with Central Black No. 2 and Windswoop
Literature:
"Rebels in Manhattan", Time Magazine, May 7, 1956, reproduced
Notes:
Drumbeat is a non-objective action painting in the Abstract Expressionist manner, a movement that flourished in America in the 1950s. When Ronald painted, he had no object in mind; it was the act of applying paint to canvas that was the picture. For Drumbeat, Ronald prepared the canvas with care. The off-white base coat covered with washes of light blue and odd touches of red and yellow provides an indeterminate airy space with no horizontal boundaries that sets up the stage for the performance to begin. The action of the artist is apparent with the random loose strokes in blue and black in all directions. These dabs of colour set up a rhythmic motion accentuated by the explosion of overlapping dense black brush-strokes that accumulate to form a rough triangular central image. This undefined wonderful use of black is non-threatening; instead it is alive as it dances to the beat of the drum. The gutsy uneven band of fiery red paint flat against the right side of the canvas is the jolt that sets the painting on its feet, stabilizes it and makes it special. At this early stage in his career, Ronald's distinctive manner of painting powerful images with energy and authority is apparent.
We also see the beginning of a few mannerisms that became associated with his paintings. The central image that creates one "big bang" sort of impression was an intrinsic part of his later work. Another common image was the peripheral framing, the wide, colourful border retaining the energy within. Ronald had an exceptional sense of colour. He was never afraid of black and knew how to use it. Along with an almost excessive use of another favourite colour, red, it gave the visual punch that he sought. Drumbeat is not only a very fine early painting by Ronald, it is also an historically seminal work of art.
Ronald had moved to New York in 1955 and became a part of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. He was friendly with many of the top-ranking American artists such as Franz Kline and Mark Rothko, and was soon considered one of their contemporaries. In 1956, Painters Eleven, of which Ronald was a founding member, was invited to exhibit in the annual exhibition of the American Association of Abstract Artists at the Riverside Museum in New York City. These eleven Canadian artists had only started to exhibit together in Canada two years earlier. This exposure would introduce them to a wider audience and give them an international standing. The invitation to participate in this exhibition gave some prestige to the group. Each artist of Painters Eleven exhibited two major works in this show; Drumbeat and Central Black were Ronald's selections. Central Black is in the collection of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario.
Ronald was an energetic, physically robust individual with a flamboyant personality, and these traits are displayed clearly with his sure use of colour and boldness of design. Ronald returned to Canada in the early 1960s and died in 1998.
This dynamic early work forecasts the long, glorious career of one of Canada's foremost imaginative and creative abstract artists.
We thank Kay Woods, former curator of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and contributor to Arts Canada, for contributing the above essay.
Photograph of William Ronald by Ben Martin in New York with Drumbeat, courtesy of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa.
Please note: This work will be available for pick-up or delivery from PacArt, Toronto, post-auction.
Private Collection, New York
Re-acquired by the Artist from the above
Acquired directly from the Artist by the present Private Collection, Ontario
Exhibitions:
Riverside Museum, New York, 20th Annual Exhibition with Painters Eleven of Canada, American Association of Abstract Artists, April 8 - May 20, 1956, catalogue #21, exhibited with Central Black
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canadian Abstract Paintings, 1956, circulated to 10 American museums by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1956 - 1957, catalogue #33, exhibited with Central Black No. 2 and Windswoop
Literature:
"Rebels in Manhattan", Time Magazine, May 7, 1956, reproduced
Notes:
Drumbeat is a non-objective action painting in the Abstract Expressionist manner, a movement that flourished in America in the 1950s. When Ronald painted, he had no object in mind; it was the act of applying paint to canvas that was the picture. For Drumbeat, Ronald prepared the canvas with care. The off-white base coat covered with washes of light blue and odd touches of red and yellow provides an indeterminate airy space with no horizontal boundaries that sets up the stage for the performance to begin. The action of the artist is apparent with the random loose strokes in blue and black in all directions. These dabs of colour set up a rhythmic motion accentuated by the explosion of overlapping dense black brush-strokes that accumulate to form a rough triangular central image. This undefined wonderful use of black is non-threatening; instead it is alive as it dances to the beat of the drum. The gutsy uneven band of fiery red paint flat against the right side of the canvas is the jolt that sets the painting on its feet, stabilizes it and makes it special. At this early stage in his career, Ronald's distinctive manner of painting powerful images with energy and authority is apparent.
We also see the beginning of a few mannerisms that became associated with his paintings. The central image that creates one "big bang" sort of impression was an intrinsic part of his later work. Another common image was the peripheral framing, the wide, colourful border retaining the energy within. Ronald had an exceptional sense of colour. He was never afraid of black and knew how to use it. Along with an almost excessive use of another favourite colour, red, it gave the visual punch that he sought. Drumbeat is not only a very fine early painting by Ronald, it is also an historically seminal work of art.
Ronald had moved to New York in 1955 and became a part of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. He was friendly with many of the top-ranking American artists such as Franz Kline and Mark Rothko, and was soon considered one of their contemporaries. In 1956, Painters Eleven, of which Ronald was a founding member, was invited to exhibit in the annual exhibition of the American Association of Abstract Artists at the Riverside Museum in New York City. These eleven Canadian artists had only started to exhibit together in Canada two years earlier. This exposure would introduce them to a wider audience and give them an international standing. The invitation to participate in this exhibition gave some prestige to the group. Each artist of Painters Eleven exhibited two major works in this show; Drumbeat and Central Black were Ronald's selections. Central Black is in the collection of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario.
Ronald was an energetic, physically robust individual with a flamboyant personality, and these traits are displayed clearly with his sure use of colour and boldness of design. Ronald returned to Canada in the early 1960s and died in 1998.
This dynamic early work forecasts the long, glorious career of one of Canada's foremost imaginative and creative abstract artists.
We thank Kay Woods, former curator of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and contributor to Arts Canada, for contributing the above essay.
Photograph of William Ronald by Ben Martin in New York with Drumbeat, courtesy of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa.
Please note: This work will be available for pick-up or delivery from PacArt, Toronto, post-auction.
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.