signed lower left; signed and titled on the reverse
12 × 16 in (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
(including Buyer's Premium)
Dr. Mary Miller
G. Blair Laing Galleries, Toronto
Private Collection
Masters Gallery, Calgary, 1980
Private Collection, Calgary
Dennis Reid, A Concise History of Canadian Painting, Toronto, 1973, page 179
Arthur Lismer’s West Coast, Vancouver Island, B.C., epitomizes the rugged, epic splendour of the wilds of British Columbia. The picture is dense and complex, which would be expected from this point in Lismer’s career. His sense of form and rhythm produced images of substance and organization that resonate with the viewer and create order out of chaos.
Keeping true to the Group's mission of capturing the wild and 'untouched' Canadian wilderness, Lismer has a particularly apt style to capture and document these images of Canadiana. Oil on board works, such as this artwork, give an intimate snapshot of the landscape visited by the Group of Seven. Cerulean blues and emerald greens are punctuated by bright ochres in the work, giving life and vibrancy to the monumental pines that rise from the centre of the composition. Lismer's use of dramatic greens and a broad brushstroke reflects his feelings toward landscape painting in Canada. As Dennis Reid noted, "This later work ...from 1951 to 1968 on annual trips to the lush west coast of Vancouver Island–was undervalued during his lifetime but it is the most original, intensely personal painting of his career."
