Lot 53
WILLIAM RONALD, R.C.A.
Additional Images
Provenance:
Brian Dedora, Toronto
Private Collection
Literature:
Iris Nowell, Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver/Toronto, 2010, pages 67-68 and page 77, reproduced in colour.
Exhibited:
Abstracts at Home(s), Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, September 2007 - September 2008.
Note:
This lot was painted the year Painters Eleven was formed. In her book Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art, Iris Nowell credits this work as being one of the paintings wherein Ronald “...had clearly discovered the painterly vigour he had been searching for.” Nowell considers this painting a turning point for Ronald. She writes that in this composition, “he has adapted calligraphic forms - emphatic black curved shapes to achieve bold visual rhythm. This work features black elements playfully moving against translucent soft orange shapes.” Ronald’s early works were imaginative and technically perfect. His talent was instantly recognized by the New York art community and both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rockefeller family among other prominent collectors purchased paintings by the artist. This lot is an excellent example of Ronald’s early work that was pivotal in establishing his reputation and helped launch his career.