Two Figures, 1955

Kastel Gallery, Montreal Private Collection, Montreal

In the early 1920s, Holgate returned to Paris, and it was there that he became deeply involved with woodblock printing. Particularly influenced by the work of John and Paul Nash, Holgate was also impressed with the broader school of English engraving and printmaking. Edwin Holgate and Frederick Varley were the only Group of Seven members to draw and paint nudes. Holgate’s “Two Figures” explores a modernist aesthetic applied to the classical motif of nudes within nature. The artist has arranged the composition to bring our focus to the statuesque central figure. The precise line-work lends form to each element. Holgate went on to teach wood engraving at the École des beaux-arts in Montréal, attracting praise and notoriety for his influential print work.