Cyclamen on Table, circa 1945

Collection of Dr. & Mrs. Max Stern, Montreal Dominion Gallery, Montreal Arthur Leggett Fine Art & Antiques, Toronto Private Collection, Ontario

The Elsie Perrin Williams Memorial Art Museum, London, Ontario “Canadian Group of Painters”, Art Gallery of Toronto and Art Association of Montreal, 1947-48 Glenbow - Alberta Institute, Calgary, Alberta (undated)

Hugues de Jouvancourt, “Goodridge Roberts”, Montreal, 1984, reproduced in colour page 17

During the Second World War, William Goodridge Roberts served as an official war artist for Canada while stationed in England. At the close of the war, Roberts resumed his teaching position at the Art Association of Montreal. A prolific painter, Roberts developed his individualistic vision within the motifs of landscape, portraiture and still life. “Cyclamen on Table” features the artist’s trademark loose and assured brushwork. The lively red flowers form the peak of a triangular composition. A deft depiction of the patterned colours of the studio cloth adds visual energy. The linear brushstrokes of the background drapery echo the formation of the table legs, working to direct the viewer’s gaze about the composition. Though the painting appears to have been executed rapidly, the artist has taken care to capture the quality of crisp light landing on the table’s surface. Roberts relished the high degree of control that working with still life subjects allowed, creating arrangements of familiar objects in a studio setting for careful observation.