Joyner Canadian Fine Art Auction

November 26, 2012

LOT 160

Lot 160

WILLIAM KURELEK, R.C.A.

WILLIAM KURELEK, R.C.A.
Lot 160 Details
WILLIAM KURELEK, R.C.A.

WINTER OUTSIDE ANDREW, ALBERTA, 1966

mixed media on board
signed with initials
13.75 ins x 16.75 ins; 34.4 cms x 41.9 cms

Estimate $12,000-$15,000

Realised: $28,320
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Provenance:

Private Collection, Ontario.

Literature:

Patricia Morley, Kurelek: A Biography, Toronto, 1986, pages 190-191.

Joan Murray and William Kurelek, Kurelek’s Vision of Canada, Edmonton, 1983, page 10.

Note:

During the early 1960s, William Kurelek began annual excursions to Western Canada, “principally to Manitoba and Alberta, to paint the areas where he had lived as a child and which would become the basis for his most popular paintings.” Approximately an hour’s drive northeast of Edmonton, Andrew, Alberta is located less than ten kilometers from Whitford, the birthplace and early childhood home of the artist. “To outsiders, Whitford might look bleak – two grain elevators and three buildings huddled under a vast sky. But to Kurelek, even as a small child, the austere emptiness had its own charm.”

Common with many of Kurelek’s most fascinating works, “Winter Outside Andrew, Alberta” possesses minute and distinct details which provide interesting thematic dimensions to an otherwise tranquil Canadian winter landscape. The breathless chase of a hare by a pursuing wolf in the upper left corner provides an urgent and dangerous tone to the snowy scene, while the tiny copy of the Jehovah Witness magazine “The Watchtower” blowing into the bare trees on the right side of the painting ushers a religious tone into the setting. Kurelek’s exact motive to include the religious magazine is not made clear to the viewer, leaving the audience to interpret the painter’s unique perspective and intention.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 160
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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.