signed with initials lower right; signed, titled and dated 1944 on the reverse
12 × 14 in (30.5 × 35.6 cm)
(including Buyer's Premium)
Studio of the Artist
Continental Galleries, Montreal
Private Collection, Montreal
Sotheby's, auction, Toronto, 19 May 1993, lot 282
Private Collection, Calgary
Masters Gallery, Calgary
Private Collection, Edmonton
Exhibition organized by the Canadian National Committee of Refugees, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1945
Near Cowansville, Quebec by Efa Prudence Heward is a compelling and emotive study of the Canadian landscape. Although Heward is best known for her figurative work, the use of the landscape, both urban and rural alike, played a vital compositional role in amplifying the emotional resonance of the artwork. In the absence of a human subject, the landscape must then assume full responsibility to engage with the viewer. Heward rises to this challenge in Near Cowansville, Quebec, through simplicity and sensitivity.
Here, Heward uses deliberate and expressive brushwork to compose her landscape using horizontal movement that animates an otherwise serene scene. Beginning in the lower left corner, the viewer is guided by the rhythmic pull of blades of grass and brush across the panel. Tracing the foliage’s path, the viewer is met by a fence line that recedes into the far distance. This draws us deep into the image and into rolling hills and softly swaying trees.
