Lot 18
LÉON BELLEFLEUR, R.C.A.
Lot 18 Details
LÉON BELLEFLEUR, R.C.A.
RETOUR DE LA CHIMÈRE, 1991
oil on canvas
signed and dated ‘91; also signed, titled and dated on the reverse
45 ins x 57.5 ins; 114.3 cms x 146.1 cms
Estimate $25,000-$35,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
Galerie 2000, Montreal, QC;
Private Collection, Ottawa, ON;
Waddington's, Toronto, ON, Canadian Fine Art, 29 May 2017, Lot 34
Private Collection, Toronto, ON
Note:
One of the last proponents of Surrealism in Quebec, Bellefleur was influenced by the work of Klee, Kandinsky and Miró. Bellefleur has been called a painter of lyrical abstraction, for there is a strong element of poetry in his work (not just in their titles); he counted the Québécois poets Roland Giguère and Gilles Hénault as friends, often illustrating their poems.
Bellefleur began his paintings without a subject, title, or range of colours in mind. A subject would often suggest itself to him either during the process or after. In this painting, the end result is a distinct motif that stands out against a dark ground resembling deep space, which the artist interpreted as a chimera—a mythical hybrid beast, composed of parts of more than one animal. His handling of paint, dragging it with a palette knife and drawing into it while wet, suggests that the creature is in motion—hence, “return.”
CONDITION DETAILS
Good condition.
Please contact the specialist for further condition information.
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