Lot 231: Franklin Carmichael 1890 - 1945 Canadian

Franklin Carmichael 1890 - 1945 Canadian watercolour on paper In the La Cloche Mountains "11 x 13 inches 27.9 x 33 centimeters signed and on verso titled on the gallery label Provenance:G. Blair Laing Limited, Toronto Acquired from the above by the present Private Collector, Toronto, 1969 The exposed, harsh beauty of the landscape of the Canadian Shield has attracted artists to depict it since artists began to work in Canada. Paul Kane painted the La Cloche Hills in 1845, and it is a beloved painting destination today. Now set aside in Ontario's Killarney Provincial Park, the La Cloche Hills and McGregor Bay were a favoured destination for several members of the Group of Seven - Franklin Carmichael, Arthur Lismer and A.Y. Jackson all worked there. Jackson favoured trees and brush, Lismer the lakes and Carmichael the bare skeleton of the landscape - the exposed rock of the Canadian Shield. Here in the silver-grey light of the La Cloche Hills, Carmichael explores the medium of watercolou , of which he was a master, in subtle shades of blue and grey. A founding member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, Carmichael's abilities with this delicate medium are astounding. In this work, he has used the rough texture of the watercolour paper to its maximum advantage, working with saturated paint in a near dry-brush method in the sky, and allowing us to see much of his pencil drawing in the final work. The result is stark and clean, an unadorned depiction of land, water and sky. The consignor will donate the proceeds from the sale of this work to Canadian charities. "