Sold for: $22,500

PROVENANCE
Douglas Duncan Picture Loan Society, Toronto
M. Wright, Montreal, circa 1955
Michael Meredith, Toronto, 1990
Canadian Art, Joyner Fine Art, November 23, 1993, lot 60
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
David Milne Jr. and David P. Silcox, David B. Milne: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume 2: 1929 - 1953, 1998, reproduced page 728, catalogue #401.94

EXHIBITED
Picture Loan Society, Toronto, 1941, gallery list #6
Art Gallery of Toronto, 1952

David Milne’s love of flowers is evident throughout his career. The arrival of spring and new life turned his attention to flowers—whether blossoms found in the wilderness or blooms purchased in a local market. Zinnias is a wonderful example of his ability to render delicate blossoms and vibrant colours in a decisive and convincing manner. As with all of Milne’s later watercolours, Zinnias is executed with panache and vigour. The pigments are applied quickly—a rich, sweeping application of black defines the surface upon which the two teacups and vase of zinnias rest. The flowers are each painted differently—at top left a richly defined full blossom and a black flower and, at top right, a finely delineated outline of the zinnia stem and blossom. The leaves of the flowers are distinctly defined in both green and black pigments. Milne draws with the fine point of his brush and the delicate lines, seen in the teacups and saucers and the vase, provide a contrast to the linear patterns of the flowers and leaves and the black of the tabletop. The upper portion of the composition uses the white of the paper to foreground the beauty of the zinnias and allow Milne’s draughtsmanship to be clearly seen. Zinnias, done in Toronto, reflects both Milne’s great love of flowers and his enormous skill as a watercolourist.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars