JEAN PAUL LEMIEUX, R.C.A.
JEUNE FILLE SUR FOND JAUNE, 1961
signed and dated '61; titled to the stretcher
9.88 ins x 7.88 ins; 25.1 cms x 20 cms
November 18, 2019
Estimate $25,000-$35,000
Realised: $48,000
This portrait was produced in the middle of Lemieux’s classical period, characterised by space and bare, simplified subjects. Jeune Fille sur Fond Jaune is an exceptional example of this time — a stoic face on a vast background presenting something both boundless and immediate. There is a sense that she will dissolve into the background entirely, the bright yellow radiating from behind her.
The girl’s face, however, is direct to the point of starkness: her eyes are chips of coal under a blunt fringe of hair, anchoring her gaze to the luminous field of yellow. The painting hovers in a guileless balance, the figure elided with the ground — perhaps underscored by the playful jeune-jaune rhyme of the title — while suggesting a moment of reflection in isolation.
Canadian Fine Art
Waddington’s has been a major force in the Canadian art market for over five decades, beginning with our first auction of Canadian Fine Art held at the Queen Elizabeth Building at the CNE in 1967. Since then we have offered countless important and major Canadian works of art, set record prices and are regarded as the source for buying and selling exceptional Canadian Art.
Meet the Specialist
Gregory Humeniuk
Senior Specialist
Kendra Popelas
Consignment Specialist