Jack Hamilton Bush 1909 - 1977

Estate of the artist

Private Collection, Toronto

Toronto, Ontario Society of Artists, 89th Annual Exhibition, March, 1961

The overall condition of this work is very good. To eliminate the canvas being loose and to remove the buckling in all four corners, we would suggest re-stretching the canvas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Jack Bush's output has been relentlessly classified and categorized, but he can most easily and indisputably be characterized as a brilliant colourist.  First evidenced by his ability to articulate the Canadian landscape in the style of his teachers (see lot 37), his output evolved through bold experimentation and the influence of his peers and, most notably, the influence of Clement Greenberg.

Within this evolution, December was painted at a moment of artistic crystallization.  It is formally unlike the Flower paintings that preceded it and the Thrust paintings that followed.  Instead, it is a hard-edged composition, with deep pigments of a sophisticated palette that foreshadows the Sash paintings that were later critically acclaimed.  He had decidedly moved beyond the anarchic painterly fashion of Painters Eleven and towards bare colour-field painting.

December is a magnificent and thoroughly modern painting.  Evidence of process and product are simultaneously evident and are a testament to Bush's capacity as a versatile Canadian abstract painter.