signed, titled and inscribed “Bake Oven by Brownell- Gift to W.J.S” on a label on the reverse
11.25 × 10 in (28.6 × 25.4 cm)
Auction Estimate:$5,000 - $7,000
Sale date:November 22, 2016
Price Realized
$4,600
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Canadian Art Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
Private Collection
Literature
A.K. Prakash, “Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery,” Stuttgart, 2015, pages 401 and 403
Internationally trained in the United States and France, Franklin Brownell’s work “followed strict Academic standards in the French tradition – drawing, composition, colour harmony, and expression - perfecting the union of content and form in his work.” Before settling in Ottawa in 1887 to become headmaster of the Ottawa School of Art, the painter spent four years abroad “immersing himself in the figurative style and genre painting of French Academicism.” In 1883, Brownell included “The Lace Maker” in an exhibition at the Salon des Champs-Elysees in Paris. While in Ottawa, he was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and submitted another figural work, “The Photographer” (1896) as his diploma piece, the painting now part of the collection of the National Gallery of Canada. “The Photographer” shares a quality with “Bake Oven,” presenting the subject within their working environment, concentrating on the task at hand, their focus turned away from the viewer. This quality leaves us to not only share the perspective of the worker, but to also appreciate the figure’s surroundings, a showcase of Brownell’s skill in harnessing colour and light.
