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The Bridge by Christopher Pratt

Artwork by Christopher Pratt, The Bridge

Chris Pratt
The Bridge

screenprint in colours
signed, titled, dated “December 1989” and numbered “6/65” in the lower margin; titled and dated to a gallery label on the reverse
17.75 x 33.5 ins ( 45.1 x 85.1 cms ) ( image )

Auction Estimate: $7,000.00$5,000.00 - $7,000.00

Price Realized $9,120.00
Sale date: April 18th 2023

Provenance:
Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto (1990)
Private Collection, Toronto
“This image relates to the bridge across the Salmonier River on the downstream boundry of our property. The bridge links the Salmonier Line with the St. Mary’s Road, and crosses the river exactly where it (the river) enters the estuary at the tide-head of St. Mary’s Bay. So the bridge (which is known locally as “Hurley’s Bridge” after a family of Irish extraction who lived nearby) is a true gateway to St. Mary’s Bay.

The depiction of the bridge itself is accurate, but the rest of the image is not. What you see through and beyond the bridge has more to do with other, life-long associations I have with this environment. In its formal aspect, the print relates to some of the night images I have done - “Night Trestle”, “Night on the Verandah”, “Winter Moon” and “Night on the River”. But it is not a night image. I saw it as a high tide on December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the darkest, shortest day; and I saw it looking upstream in some lights, and downstream in others...”

“I leaned upon a coppice gate
when frost was spectre grey...” -Thomas Hardy

-Christopher Pratt, Oct. 1989-Jan. 1990

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Christopher Pratt
(1935 - 2022)

HighlightsWatch Artist

Christopher Pratt was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1935, but spent many boyhood summers in the Bay Roberts area where he now maintains a studio. He moved to New Brunswick in 1953 to attend Mount Allison University, trying several degree programs including biology and medicine. However, with the encouragement of instructors Alex Colville and Lawren Harris Jr. Pratt decided on fine arts.

It was at Mount Allison that he met Mary West. The couple married in 1957, then moved to Scotland where Pratt attended the Glasgow School of Art. Two years later, they returned to Mount Allison University, Sackville, where Pratt completed his fine arts degree. In 1961, Pratt accepted the position of curator at the newly opened Memorial University Art Gallery in St. John's. He remained at the gallery for two and a half years before deciding to concentrate on his painting full-time, moving his family to Salmonier, Newfoundland. Pratt has become one of Canada's best known and most respected artists, known for both meticulous serigraph prints and for powerfully evocative paintings.

In 1980, Pratt designed the Newfoundland flag. He was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1983 and has a number of honorary degrees from Canadian universities. Three books about Pratt are: Christopher Pratt; The Prints of Christopher Pratt: 1958-1991 and Christopher Pratt: Personal Reflections on a Life in Art. These feature reproductions of many of his works. Pratt's work is part of private and public collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University and the Vancouver Art Gallery.