Birches in Spring (River), 1959

Joyner Waddington’s Canadian Fine Art, auction, Toronto, December 3, 2003, Lot 191 Private Collection, Ontario

An avid outdoorsman, A.Y. Jackson was forever in search of fresh and inspiring subject matter for his art, and he travelled far and wide throughout Canada to find it. Jackson was acutely aware of his role within the Canadian landscape and tirelessly narrated the story of what it meant to be Canadian through his rich depictions of woodlands, rolling hills and lakes. “Birches in Spring”, as well as the shoreline landscape on the reverse of this oil, exhibits rhythmic lines, soft curving forms, strong expressive colours, and a high horizon line - all signatures of Jackson’s artistic oeuvre. Jackson skillfully leaves select patches of the board unpainted, introducing golden highlights amongst the trees, while patches of green emerge amidst the melting snow, hinting at the first signs of spring. This artwork features “front facing” framing on both sides, allowing for alternated viewing of either composition on Jackson’s double-sided oil painting.