Autumn Foothills by Takao Tanabe
Takao Tanabe
Autumn Foothills
acrylic on canvas
signed and dated 1983 lower right; signed, titled, dated “3/83” and inscribed “Errington” on the reverse
26 x 72 ins ( 66 x 182.9 cms )
Auction Estimate: $40,000.00 - $60,000.00
Price Realized $37,760.00
Sale date: November 19th 2019
The Collection of TC Energy, Toronto
Roger H. Boulet, Takao Tanabe: Wet Coasts and Dry Lands, Kelowna, 2000, page 9
Ian M. Thom, Art BC: Masterworks from British Columbia, Vancouver, 2000, page 204
“Autumn Foothills” depicts a dramatic panorama at the base of a mountain range executed in a subdued palette of greys, sand and olive greens. The soothing palette employed exemplifies Tanabe’s preference for the scheme inspired by his return to British Columbia in 1980. On these works from the 1980s, Ian Thom notes: “In a series of hauntingly beautiful, formally rigorous images, he has explored his particular interests: the strong lines of the horizons, the rich but difficult palette of greys and blues and their allied tones, and the exceptional quality of the light of the coast.” There is a grand epic tone to “Autumn Foothills” with the expansive foreground, lightly clouded sky and scale of the composition. The viewer is left with the same overwhelming feeling of awe within the landscape which Tanabe experiences in his travels across Canada.
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Takao Tanabe
(1926) RCA
Born in British Columbia in 1926, Takao Tanabe has been an important figure in Canadian painting for over 50 years. Tanabe studied in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Following a decade as head of the art program and artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre, he returned to British Columbia in 1980 where he currently lives and works.