Canadian Fine Art

November 19, 2018

LOT 39

Lot 39

THOMAS SHERLOCK HODGSON, R.C.A.

THOMAS SHERLOCK HODGSON, R.C.A.
Lot 39 Details
THOMAS SHERLOCK HODGSON, R.C.A.

M8, 1960

oil on canvas
signed and dated 1960; also signed, titled and dated on the stretcher
35 ins x 55 ins; 88.9 cms x 139.7 cms

Estimate $12,000-$18,000

Realised: $16,800
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
THOMAS SHERLOCK HODGSON, R.C.A.
  • THOMAS SHERLOCK HODGSON, R.C.A.
  • THOMAS SHERLOCK HODGSON, R.C.A.
Provenance:

Private Collection, Stouffville, ON

Literature:

Iris Nowell, Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art, Douglas & McIntyre, Toronto, 2011, page 8.

Note:

“For me, process is more important than content,” Tom Hodgson (1924-2006) has said. “In fact, the process of painting is the subject of the painting.” A long career of experimental and varied practice produced a body of work that ranged from drawing to collage, figuration to landscape. Most evocative was his expressionist painting, utilising bold gestures done in bright palettes to push the limits between material and form. We can readily feel this experimental energy in M8, with a canvas that has been abundantly overlaid with forceful scripts of colour. Produced around the time of the dissolution of Painters Eleven, this is a fine example of how Hodgson continued to explore the evocative possibilities of Abstract Expressionism.

Streaming brushstrokes flit around the canvas, accumulating in tangled knots before spinning off in frantic streaks. A mass of deep red gives way to bands of yellow and pink, burnished greens give way to a ray of icy verdigris. The most conspicuous of these are several sweeping lines of white, which seem to have been applied in a relatively careful calligraphy. For Hodgson, the importance of painting lays in its process, and its ability to directly capture the intensity of expression. The wet drips, hurried scrapes, and skittering brush marks that cover the canvas are self-assured documents of the artist’s energetic movements.

CONDITION DETAILS

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LOT 39
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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.