Private Collection, Montreal
By descent, Private Collection, Saskatchewan
Literature
Nancy Townshend, Maxwell Bates: Landscapes/ Paysages: 1948-1978, Medicine Hat Museum and Gallery, Medicine Hat, 1982, pages 9, 21 and 29
Having travelled and worked extensively in the United Kingdom, Maxwell Bates was exposed to and inspired by the European fauvist modern art movement. He integrated the simplified forms and reliance on colour to make visual social commentary on one's place in society. Human presence was always a particular point of interest for the artist as he shifted focus to depicting the western Canadian landscape. The artist explained that, “a landscape untouched by man doesn't interest me. Must have some touch of man, example, cabins, farmhouse. Otherwise, I don't relate to it.”
In “House by the Sea”, Bates marries his practices of flattened, simplified forms and the utilization of colour to impart the importance of human presence within the land. The subtle grey near monochromatic colour palette used melts the central home and surrounding structures into the landscape and sky. Nancy Townshend argues: “...the key to Bates' success as a landscape painter lies in his judicious selection from nature's varied fabric of those elements that would make a good picture and his arrangement of those elements for the greatest aesthetic effect.” In this work, there is a gentle reminder of our presence within the landscape and our role within the environment.
