AC-81-99, 1981

Private Collection, Winnipeg

Nancy E. Dillow, William Perehudoff: Recent Paintings, Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, 1978, page 7 Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada, Toronto, 2007, page 290

A bright and refreshing example of William Perehudoff’s iconic line abstractions, “AC-81-99” shows the artist’s continued exploration into the effects of subtle shifts in colour and tone within a composition. The lines running through the slim canvas plane in light rose and soft blue are more organic and fluid, as if captured in motion rather than calm rest. Akin to many of the artist’s abstracted line pieces, the emphasis on soft tonality between complementary colours is integral to the work to create a subtle vibration of colour and light emanating from the canvas. The lines of the piece correspond with this feeling of instilled vibrancy as they gently curve from edge to edge, melding between the blush and blue hues as if captured in motion. “AC-81-99” exemplifies what Dillow described as the “stretch of colour...[that] vibrates like a violin string, activating the entire canvas.”