signed and dated 1930 lower right; titled on partial exhibition label on the reverse
14.75 × 20 in (37.5 × 50.8 cm)
Auction Estimate:$8,000 - $10,000
Sale date:May 30, 2024
Price Realized
$22,990
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Acquired directly from the Artist
By descent to the present Private Collection, Ontario
Exhibited
"Catalogue of the Arts", Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, 28 August-12 September 1931
Literature
Arthur Heming, "Drama of the Forests", Toronto, 1921, similar work reproduced page 133
Cassandra Getty, "Arthur Heming, Chronicler of the North, London", 2013, similar work reproduced page 57
Described as the “Chronicler of the North”, Arthur Heming painted idealized depictions of the Canadian wilderness, wildlife and adventures in the great white North. He was an avid sportsman as well as excelled in artistic endeavors. Heming grew up in Paris and Hamilton, Ontario, studying at the Hamilton Art School where he would eventually teach. Heming also trained in New York and London. He was one of the first artists to occupy the Studio Building in Toronto, which was built by Lawren S. Harris and Dr. James MacCallum in 1914. Heming held a solo show in Toronto in 1920 and the following year, ten of his paintings were purchased by the Royal Ontario Museum. Although he trained J.E.H. MacDonald in his earlier years in Hamilton, and sometimes exhibited alongside Group of Seven members, his subject and approach differed from the Group’s style.
"The Hunter’s Camp" draws the viewers in to admire the thrill of the hunt from the eyes of the hunter. Posed from the brush behind, the hunter both stalks and admires the beauty of this giant, enigmatically Canadian creature. "The Hunter’s Camp" subtle hues of whites and yellows surround the bulk of the large brown moose. Heavy snow layers the trees and hills in the surrounding landscape. The top of a tepee is seen protruding from behind the brush. We are caught in a quiet moment for both the hunter and the hunted.
"The Hunter’s Camp", 1919 (oil on canvas) was purchased by the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology in 1922. This work, acquired directly from the artist, was displayed at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1931 and is a later re-working of the canvas in the collection of the ROM.
