Lot 29
JEAN-PAUL LEMIEUX, R.C.A.
Provenance:
The Jean and Joseph Connolly Collection, Montreal
Literature:
Guy Robert, Lemieux, Gage Publishing, Toronto, 1978, pages 237, 250 and 287 for the closely related works L'Orpheline, Françoise and Fillette, reproduced.
Note:
Often working alone in the studio rather than with live models, Lemieux pursued figural painting in an age when the abstractions of Paul-Émile Borduas, Riopelle, and Pellan were capturing critical attention in Canada and abroad.
Like so many of Lemieux’s portraits, the innocence and solitude of the subject in Jeune Femme is emphasised by the dark ground behind the figure. This is also evident in Françoise and Fillette, both from 1957. As well, Jeune Femme holds obvious affinity with the two versions of L’Orpheline which were also created that year. In each case, the vertical format and closeness of the figure to the viewer shows itself as Lemieux’s preferred method of character study during this period.