Additional Images

Provenance:

Sotheby's, Toronto, ON, 4 Jun 1986, lot 350
Private Collection, Toronto, ON
By descent to present Private Collection, Toronto, ON

Note:

Arthur Lismer spent his summers sketching on Vancouver Island during the latter part of his career. It was during these B.C. sketching trips that he began experimenting with abstract methods in his painting. These forest sketches are known for their vibrant colours, sharp contours, and an intense movement in his brush strokes, effectively conveying the abundance of the forest. Many of the works from this period are focused on capturing the overlooked parts of the forest floor, “…he has characteristically moved in close to examine the undergrowth. The dark trunks of trees – with but an occasional glimmering shard of sky – from a swag-curtain background to the tumbling jewel-like plants of the forest floor.”[1]

1963 was a year of tribute and acclaim for Lismer. An exhibition of his drawings was featured at the Art Gallery of Windsor, he received the Canada Council medal, and was honoured with an LL.D. from McGill University in Montreal. The following year, his work was showcased in two exhibitions at Galerie Agnes Lefort and at the Walter Klinkhoff Gallery.

[1] Dennis Reid, Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1985), 50.