The Wheelbarrow

Arthur Leggett Fine Art & Antiques, Toronto ArtCor, Toronto Privation Collection, Toronto

Evelyn Walters, “The Women of Beaver Hall: Canadian Modernist Painters”, Toronto, 2005, pages 107 and 110

After studying at the Art Association of Montreal under William Brymner and Maurice Cullen, Anne Savage went on to become a founding member of the Beaver Hall Group in 1920. The Beaver Hall Group collaborated as an association of mutual support, with members co-operating on securing housing, studio space and exhibition opportunities. Though the group only lasted for a brief two years, the women of the Beaver Hall formed a lasting network of valuable support. “The Wheelbarrow” features the muted palette and rhythmic forms the artist became known for. The undulating hills shift subtly in tone from the warmer greens of the foreground to the hazy blues in the distance. The trees arch across the picture, echoing the curves of the land. The composition is anchored with the farming implements at the centre of the lower portion, which denote a human presence. Art critic Robert Ayre wrote, “There is never any fussiness of detail. If she puts a plough into a landscape or a wheelbarrow it looks like a workable implement as well as a substantial part of the design.”