signed and dated 1945 lower left; signed, titled, dated and inscribed "24" on the reverse
12 × 15.75 in (30.5 × 40.0 cm)
(including Buyer's Premium)
Private Collection, Montreal
Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal, 1984
Private Collection, Collingwood, 1985
Paintings and Drawings by Arthur Lismer, Eaton's Fine Art Galleries, Toronto, from 4 February 1946, no. 3 as “Launching the Boat”
Exhibition of Paintings by Arthur Lismer, A.R.C.A., LL.D., The Murphy-Gamble Gallery of Canadian Art, Ottawa, March 1946, no. 3 as “Launching the Boat”
Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; travelling to Dalhousie University Art Gallery, Halifax; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Edmonton Art Gallery, 27 September 1985-8 June 1986, no. 28 as Launching the Blue Boat, Cape Breton
Lois Darroch, Bright Land: A Warm Look at Arthur Lismer, Toronto/Vancouver, 1981, see page 145 for a related canvas, The Blue Boat, Neil's Harbour, Cape Breton, 1945
Dennis Reid, Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer, Toronto, 1985, no. 28, reproduced page 73
Arthur Lismer’s Launching the Blue Boat, Cape Breton, N.S., 1945 captures the dynamism and rugged vitality of maritime life on Canada’s East Coast. Painted in the mid-1940s, the work situates itself within Lismer’s broader exploration of Canadian identity through scenes of labour, industry, and the natural environment. The painting presents a lively coastal setting where labourers, boats, chains and anchors converge in a rhythmic composition that emphasizes the tactile world of the fishing community. Bold, expressive brushwork conveys both the weight of the equipment and the kinetic energy of human activity, reflecting Lismer’s commitment to portraying the Canadian landscape as a living, humanized environment—animated by the rhythms of work, weather, and community.
This particular painting is Lismer’s second iteration of the subject, related to the canvas The Blue Boat, Neil's Harbour, Cape Breton of the same year. Launching the Blue Boat was included in the 1985 Art Gallery of Ontario exhibition, Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer. This exhibition illuminated Lismer’s post-Group of Seven practice, revealing how his mature work turned toward crowded, energetic compositions that celebrated the resilience of human endeavour within natural and industrial environments.
