Canadian Fine Art Auction

November 24, 2014

LOT 59

Lot 59

LAWREN STEWART HARRIS

LAWREN STEWART HARRIS
Lot 59 Details
LAWREN STEWART HARRIS

BATCHAWANA

oil on panel
signed and titled on the reverse
10.5 ins x 13.5 ins; 26.7 cms x 34.3 cms

Estimate $75,000-$100,000

Realised: $188,800
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
LAWREN STEWART HARRIS
  • LAWREN STEWART HARRIS
Provenance:

Acquired from the artist’s family
By descent to the present owner, Toronto

Literature:

Jeremy Adamson, Lawren S. Harris, Urban Scenes and Wilderness Landscapes 1906-1930, exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1978, page 83.
Paul Duval, Lawren Harris: Where the Universe Sings, Cerebus Publishing, Canada, 2011, page 194 and page 184 for a closely related work entitled Autumn, Batchawana Lake XXIX, 1918, reproduced in colour.

Note:

The boxcar trips, arranged by Lawren Harris, in which he and his painting friends travelled north to Algoma are well-documented and we know that in 1919 (the second boxcar trip) the party stopped at Batchawana, the last point on the trip, where they remained for about a week. By mid-October they were back in Toronto.

Harris found himself challenged by “the superabundance of colour, the infinity of detail and the continuous change in the appearance of the countryside as winter approached”. In these works he and his fellow artists recognized the need to simplify their compositions down to the most essential shapes and colours. And yet this lot retains, with success, many of the complexities of the Batchawana experience. It is often said that Algoma confounded Harris, however, this lot most emphatically refutes this. Rather Harris had developed many positive associations with the Algoma visits; they helped restore his health which had become fragile during the war years. Duval quotes Harris as remarking that he found Algoma “a veritable paradise for the creative adventurer to paint in the Canadian north”. Duval continues: “The small panels with their brilliant, almost liquid, brushwork convey a virtuoso performance.”

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 59
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.