signed and dated 1923 lower left; titled on the artist’s label on the reverse
40.25 × 30.5 in (102.2 × 77.5 cm)
Auction Estimate:$5,000 - $7,000
Sale date:May 25, 2017
Price Realized
$10,925
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Mayberry Fine Art, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Literature
Albert Laberge, “Visite au salon de peintres canadiens”, La Presse, April 2, 1923, translated by Evelyn Walters and quoted in “The Beaver Hall Group and Its Legacy,” Toronto, 2017, page 59
A member of the Beaver Hall Group in Montreal, Hal Ross Perrigard had a particular penchant for portraiture. Compared to their artistic counterparts in Toronto who focused on the untamed landscape as a means for defining national identity, Beaver Hall members instead focused on inhabited landscapes and the people who made up the distinct northern and modern culture of Montreal.
With training from William Brymner, and working in close proximity to fellow member Prudence Heward, one can see the influence of Perrigard's training and exposure to masters of portraiture with the handling of rich pigments to create supple tone in the flesh of the sitter. Perrigard tactfully keeps focus on the sitter “Vere”, opting for simplified realistic rendering free of background surroundings or symbolic tokens to clutter the image. Instead, the focus remains clear on the striking modern woman, draped in elegant sensuous fabrics, facing out. Perrigard was celebrated for his ability to capture the character of the sitter in a sober and simple fashion while maintaining a clean modern aesthetic of a traditional category of art.
