SKETCH FOR “RAMS ON THE BRAZEAU”

oil on board

12 x 15 in. (30.5 x 38.1cm)

Price Realized:

3510.00 CAD.

INCLUDES BUYER’S PREMIUM

Notes:

Provenance: Estate of Bob Riley, Calgary

Note: Bob Riley, in his youth, worked for a number of artists in the Banff area, including Rungius, assisting them in their studios, and with their gear and supplies on sketching trips. Over the years, he received a number of works directly from those artists.

Note: The major canvas produced from this sketch is illustrated opposite p. 62 in “Carl Rungius, Big Game Painter; 50 Years With Brush and Rifle” (Schaldack). A signed copy of this book, numbered 311 (of 2150), accompanies this lot. The inscription inside reads “Inscribed for Bob Riley with my best compliments, Carl Rungius, Sept. 8th, 1947”. This lot is also accompanied by several articles on Rungius as well as a signed (by Rungius) photo of the artist by photographer Nicholas Morant.

This work demonstrates the process Rungius often used in preparing larger works from his sketches – a technique he acquired at the Salmagundi Club in New York. Rungius would divide the preliminary sketch using the lines of dynamic symmetry, which he then translated to the larger canvas before painting. In this way, he arranged the visual elements and maintained the structure and balance of the composition.