2020 June | Hodgins Art Auctions

Notes:

signed lower right; titled on the gallery label verso

Provenance: Canadian Fine Arts, Toronto ON

Exhibited: “People and Places of New Brunswick” (Gallery 78; 2018), in a non-commercial retrospective exhibition of Bruno and Molly Bobak’s work.

Note: Molly Lamb Bobak was often drawn to urban scenes, here depicting the hustle and bustle of life on a busy city street. There is a strong sense of rhythm and movement in this work, accentuated by her loose brush work and selective placement of bold colour into the otherwise muted panel. Her technique achieves the objective of capturing the mood and impressions of the moment, rather than the details of the scene.

Notes:

signed lower left; titled on the artist’s and gallery labels verso
Provenance: Estate of Raymond Rougeau, Brooks AB; Gainsborough Galleries, Calgary AB

Notes:

signed lower right; signed & titled verso

Notes:

monogrammed lower left; signed, titled & dated on the stretcher verso
Provenance: Gold Design Fine Arts, Calgary AB

Notes:

signed & dated lower right

Provenance: Former collection of Thoreau MacDonald (son of the artist), Toronto ON; Former collection of Dr. Max Grinstein, Calgary AB; Kensington Fine Art Gallery, Calgary AB; Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

Reference: “The Lake O’Hara Art of J.E.H. MacDonald and Hiker’s Guide” by Lisa Christensen (Fifth House Books; 2003)

J. E. H. MacDonald made seven trips to the Canadian Rockies, visiting every summer between 1924 and 1930. He gained much inspiration from the majesty of the mountains, typically painting in the area of Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park. MacDonald headed west by train, disembarking at Wapta Station, near the current location of West Louise Lodge. As was typical, he then travelled by pack horse with his gear and supplies. The location of this intimate scene is Ross Lake, a mountain gem cradled within the cliffs of Narao Peak. It is located on the Great Divide, in the valley below O’Hara (at a distance of about 11 km). MacDonald would have taken the time, at the beginning or end of his trip, to stop and paint in this area. This work is one of only approximately 10 known examples painted by Macdonald outside of Lake O’Hara proper. Another example depicting this location, titled “Near Ross Lake”, is found in the collection of the Museum of London (55.A.23).

We thank Lisa Christensen for her assistance in determining the location of this scene and for the historical context.

Notes:

monogrammed lower left; signed, titled & dated verso
Provenance: Lefebvre Galleries, Edmonton AB

Notes:

signed lower right; signed, titled & dated verso
Provenance: Estate of Raymond Rougeau, Brooks AB; Gainsborough Galleries, Calgary AB

Notes:

signed lower left; signed, titled & dated verso

Notes:

signed lower left; signed, titled & dated verso
Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

Notes:

signed & titled on the corner of the stretcher verso

Provenance: Estate of Bill and Peggy Code, Calgary AB; Wallace Galleries, Calgary AB

Reference: “Lower Bow: A Celebration of Wilderness, Art and Fishing” (Ted Godwin & Geoffrey Simmins; Hard Art Moving and Storage Co. Ltd.; 1991)

Streams and waterways feature prominently in Ted Godwin’s paintings. As a mature artist, it would seem that the subject held particular significance for the artist, who identified as a Buddhist. Godwin grew up on the banks of the Elbow River in Calgary, walking and fly fishing the river with his father. Both his parents’ ashes were later scattered over the Bow River. In his book (page 11), Godwin wrote:

“In retrospect, most of the time I spent growing up was streamside, although this memory lay dormant for a long time. Old memories now merge with new and the only constant is the current of the dark stream that flows through my life. It seems to me that the images and rhythms of streamside have formed an integral part of whatever it is that is Ted.”

Ted Godwin was the youngest member of the Regina Five, a name given to the avant-garde group of artists when they were featured in the National Gallery of Canada’s 1961 touring exhibition “Five Painters from Regina”. Initially recognized for his abstract expressionist works, and his formalist “Tartan” series, Godwin’s later works, by comparison, appear representational. Beneath the surface of their representational framework, Godwin’s streambank paintings are rooted in abstraction. Whether of his beloved Bow River, the waterways of Central and Eastern Canada, or the National Parks of the North, these works are all gesturally bold, colourful and highly patterned. Here, Godwin explores the visual elements from the low perspective of a fly fisherman, accentuating the interplay between tangled shrubs, trees, rocks and water.