Avril, 1958

Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal Mayberry Fine Art Gallery, Winnipeg/Toronto Private Collection, Toronto

David Burnett and Marilyn Schiff, Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, 1983, pages 71-74 Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada, Toronto, 2007, page 174 Roald Nasgaard and Ray Ellenwood, Automatiste Revolution: Montreal, 1941-1960, Toronto, 2009, page 79

As a follower of Paul-Émile Borduas and the Automatiste mandates, Rita Letendre’s early works from the late 1950s showcase an iconic impasto application of paint influenced by her fellow Automatiste painters from Montreal. A leader in the colourist movement within the canon of abstract painting in Canada, Letendre sought to explore the effects and limits of light and energy through non-figurative painting. The contrast between light and dark tones of pigment were paramount to the artist's work of the time. Rather than restrict the palette to white and black dualities, Letendre committed to using a variety of colour and tone to create energy emanating from the canvas. “Avril” employs a decidedly fresh palette of chartreuse, coral and aqua blues combined with whites and blacks in a spring-like array of light energy. Emanating from the lower right corner of the composition is the heavier blacks and earth tones, balancing the upper left corner of white pigment. Letendre has used the palette knife to create generous strokes of equally weighted forms of thick pigment to cover the canvas plane. With a keen eye for movement, the artist has integrated a balanced pattern of colour and light within the tight image frame. There is an intimacy with the material that can be inferred through “Avril” with the artist’s skillful and intentional application of balanced colour.