Lot 120: Franklin Carmichael 1890 - 1945 Canadian

Franklin Carmichael 1890 - 1945 Canadian watercolour and graphite on paper McGregor Bay, La Cloche Hills " 11 x 13 1/4 inches 27.9 x 33.7 centimeters on verso titled and inscribed ""This is an authentic work of art by my father, Franklin Carmichael - Mary Mastin" Literature:Megan Bice, Light & Shadow, The Work of Franklin Carmichael, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1990, pages 43 and 111 Provenance:A gift from Franklin Carmichael to Frederick S. Haines By descent to his daughter, Dorothy Haines Hoover Galerie Walter Klinkhoff Inc., Montreal Private Collection, Montreal The year 1924 was a significant one for Carmichael; it marked his return to the use of the medium of watercolour and was the first year that he visited the La Cloche region. Of all the Group of Seven members, it was Carmichael and A.J. Casson who had the greatest interest in watercolour, and in 1925 they helped found the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. Carmichael was immediately enamored with the La Cloche region and, following his first trip in 1924, returned almost every year for the rest of his life. Located in the Canadian Shield, the La Cloche hills are ancient mountains that have eroded to soft rolling mounds gently protruding through the forests and lakes, and Carmichael captured them perfectly in McGregor Bay, La Cloche Hills. The light in the region particularly captivated Carmichael, and he said of La Cloche, "The laws of light didn't always apply," and that "the light bounced around so very dramatically." Of Carmichael's La Cloche works, Mary Carmichael Mastin stated, "The strength and the drama of these paintings are a testimony to his love for a landscape which he explored with physical, spiritual and artistic fervour."