signed and dated 1963 lower right; signed, titled, dated 1963 and inscribed “Paris” on the reverse
18 × 21.5 in (45.7 × 54.6 cm)
Auction Estimate:$25,000 - $35,000
Sale date:May 30, 2024
Price Realized
$26,400
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Galerie Camille Hébert, Montreal as "Eridon"
Private Collection, Ontario
As a young artist, Rita Letendre studied briefly at the École des beaux-arts in Montreal, and became interested in the influential abstract works of "Les Automatistes". Letendre was part of the second wave of Montreal artists who emerged directly following the collective in the early 1950s. By the early 1960s, Letendre had earned both commercial success and critical acclaim.
Influenced by artists such as Paul-Émile Borduas and Franz Kline, Letendre’s paintings of the period were confident, gestural abstractions with dense impasto surfaces. Letendre put palette knives and spatulas to expert use to create luscious painterly textures. These works often featured dark swirls of oil paint sharply contrasted with areas of vivid colour. "Eridan" features a horizontal swath of cadmium orange, which appears almost luminescent.
