ASA CPE CSPWC RCA
1884 - 1963
Canadian
Leaf of Gold
watercolour on paper, circa 1941
signed
13 7/8 x 20 3/4 in, 35.2 x 52.7 cm
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
Sold for: $21,060
Preview at: Heffel Vancouver
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Ontario
LITERATURE
Roger Boulet, The Tranquility and the Turbulence, 1981, the 1941 colour woodcut entitled Leaf of Gold reproduced page 171
Walter J. Phillips was one of Canada’s finest printmakers and watercolourists. In this sensitive composition Phillips exquisitely positioned a single branch with golden fall leaves against a backdrop of a lake and blue-shadowed mountains. This eye for beauty shows the influence of Japanese art on his work – in 1925 he had studied with the Japanese master Yoshijiro Urushibara in London. This, combined with his training in the British watercolour tradition before he came to Canada, forged an exceptional command of the medium. In 1941 he executed the colour woodcut Leaf of Gold, which is virtually identical in composition to this work – Phillips often derived his woodcuts from drawings and watercolours. The backdrop is the Rocky Mountains. In 1940 Phillips was asked to be an instructor at the Banff Summer School, and he moved to Calgary in the fall of 1941, later building a house in Banff. Responding to the clarity of Canadian light, he worked with washes on dry paper, and consequently captured with technical virtuosity the ephemeral play of light and purity of atmosphere seen in this superb watercolour.
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our
Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the
condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.