Please note our offices will be closed from Friday March 29 through Monday April 1 for Easter. Local pick-ups will start on Tuesday April 2.

LOT 113

AAM CGP CSGA CSPWC G7 OSA RCA
1885 - 1969
Canadian

Lake Superior
oil on board, circa 1927
signed and on verso titled L. Superior and inscribed "to Beekie from Arthur Lismer, Jan. 1932"
12 1/4 x 16 1/8 in, 31.1 x 41 cm

Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 CAD

Sold for: $76,050

Preview at: Heffel Vancouver

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
Lois Darroch, Bright Land: A Warm Look at Arthur Lismer, 1981, page 58

EXHIBITED
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, on loan in 1979


After 1920, a bold, direct approach infused Arthur Lismer’s art. He championed the need for Canadian artists to observe their subject and to hear the unique voice of Canada, rather than repeat the soft palette and misty atmosphere of England. He stated, “Canada is not like that and neither are its people. It is a country without shades and shadows, with bright colours and brutal changes of climate. Even the sun goes down with a bang.”

Lake Superior was one of the Group of Seven’s most auspicious painting places. Lawren Harris and A.Y. Jackson had ventured there after their 1921 Algoma trip, and Harris had become enthralled with the region, inviting Lismer there in 1923 and 1927. Foul weather plagued their first trip, aggravated by the fact that they were camping. However uncomfortable the conditions were for the painters, the stormy skies in Lismer’s Lake Superior works, including this fine sketch, add to the vitality of the work. Lismer’s plein air work from these two trips was the inspiration for a number of his most famous Group period masterworks.


Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 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.