Et m'arrache toujours une nouvelle mort Plus précieuse que la vie (Valéry), 1966

Gallery Moos, Toronto Private Collection, Toronto

Between 1965 and 1969, Jean McEwen experimented with hard-edge abstraction and acrylic paints, moving away from his practice of layered oil paints. Prevalent in the New York art scene, hard-edge abstraction was also picked up in Montreal with non-figurative painters as many of the artists either had gallery representation or cross-over with their American counterparts. With a decidedly more graphic style, McEwen employed this technique in "Et m’arrache toujours une nouvelle mort Plus précieuse que la vie (Valéry)." A solid vertical strip of black occupies the centre of the canvas, flanked by bands of deep orange with flecks of black pigment suggesting a sense of depth, in stark contrast to the central black panel. Devoted to exploring the power of colour, tones, texture and the sensation that colour can create, McEwen delivers works in keeping with period experimentation while maintaining his true core artistic purpose. The title inscribed on the reverse of the painting references the last two lines from a poem by French poet and philosopher Pierre Valéry, titled "La Fausse Morte."