- 66
Arthur Lismer 1885 - 1969
Description
- Arthur Lismer
- ROCK AND WRACK OF A PINE
- signed and dated lower left 61; signed, titled and indistinctly dated, WNK inscribed on the stretcher on the reverse
- oil on canvas
- 40.6 by 50.8 cm.
- 16 by 20 in.
Condition
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.
Catalogue Note
When Lismer painted Rock and Wrack of a Pine he was many miles away from Georgian Bay on the coast of British Columbia, an area he visited every summer after 1951. He relished the five-day long train ride to Vancouver.
Still, the remembrance of rock and pine in the east has influenced this west coast scene and given it both sinew and flesh. Lismer, still in his vigorous sixties, was capable of strong, blunt compositions and he knew that there was beauty to be found in unlikely subjects.
Close by were rocks and he painted their solid forms with brushstrokes as bold as they were, jutting out on the coast in asymmetrical pilings. He vividly depicts the dead pine branches exposing their decaying silvery bark with scratches from the end of his brush. The green moss is subtly shown as a soft velvety blanket covering the weathered smooth stone surfaces. Lismer uses more restriction in his use of colour but various shades of green predominate. Even in the harshest of surrounding, there is still growth and vitality in the cycle of life.