Private Collection, New Jersey (acquired directly from the artist in Kingston, New Jersey)
Private Collection, North Dakota
Private Collection, Toronto
Exhibited
Canadian Group of Painters, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, travelling to Queen’s University, Kingston, and National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, December 1955 - February 1956, no. 54
Literature
Canadian Group of Painters (Exhibition Catalogue), Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1955-56, unpaginated, listed as no. 54
R. de Repentigny, “Exposition nationale sans nos peintres”, La Presse, December 17, 1955, page 73
Paul Duval, Four Decades: The Canadian Group of Painters and their Contemporaries 1930-1970, Toronto, 1972, page 146
Robert J. Belton, The Theatre of the Self: The Life and Art of William Ronald, Calgary, 1999, page 143
Index of Paintings (1/2) 1949-1962, William Ronald Fonds, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, listed as no.104
The early 1950s were an active and important time in William Ronald’s career development. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art, moved to New York City to study with Hans Hoffman, before returning to Toronto to form the Painters Eleven group in 1953. Shortly thereafter, Ronald returned to New York with the hopes of further invigorating his work.
Completed in 1955 in New York, “Invasion” has a restricted colour scheme, composed of black, brown, white and blue. At this time Ronald was edging quickly towards what would become a well-known series of artworks with a central-image theme. “Invasion” is quite balanced with a uniform application of painterly strokes; perhaps only the strong middle swath of black serves as a foreshadowing of the artist’s works to come. The artwork appears fluid and methodical, with paint applied in a horizontal and structured fashion.
Ronald quickly came to the attention of New York gallery owner Samuel Kootz, who exhibited his work in 1956. This support provided financial security and wide exposure for Ronald, enabling further acceleration of his career. He became friendly with fellow abstract painters of the New York School including Mark Rothko and Franz Kline. Also in 1956, Painters Eleven was invited to exhibit in the annual exhibition of the American Association of Abstract Artists at the Riverside Museum in New York City. This exposure would introduce Ronald and his peers to a wider audience and give them an international standing.
