signed, titled and dated 1963 on a label on the stretcher
32 × 39.5 in (81.3 × 100.3 cm)
Auction Estimate:$14,000 - $18,000
Sale date:May 25, 2017
Price Realized
$11,500
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Private Collection, Ottawa
Literature
Ann Davis, Marcel Barbeau: Works from 1957-1989, Kaspar Gallery, Toronto, 1989, unpaginated
During the 1960s, Barbeau was influenced by the Automatistes and European minimalist modernism. Favouring limited colour palettes of no more than three colours, all with uniform hues, the arrangement of simplified geometric shapes were explored. Taking the lead from Henri Matisse, Barbeau was also interested in the precise and calculated placement of shape and form on the canvas while maintaining a quality of sporadic chance. Showcased in “Le rouge et le noir”, Barbeau explores the tension between chance and intention through an abstract expressionism rooted in sensations of dimensionality.
Moving away from the all-over abstraction favoured by his Automatiste predecessors, careful control has been employed in the form of the shape and compositional arrangement. The lower portion of the composition is heavy and calm with the solid black form wrapping around the edges of the canvas which balances the more sporadic and energetic red rectangles dancing at the upper edge of the frame. The viewer bears witness to a subtle tension between dimensions combining both freedom and intellect. There is the liberty of the artist to create, but an important cognizant measure to the process, replacing the fervent gesture of the artist with control.
