Shoreline, Georgian Bay, 1928

Collection of Doris McCarthy, 1928

The Framing Gallery, Toronto

Origine Beaux Arts, Montreal, 1973

Beam Canada Inc. (Canadian Club) through acquisition by Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., Walkerville/Windsor

Exhibition of Paintings, Sketches and Drawings by Arthur Lismer, A.R.C.A., O.S.A., Canadian Group of Painters, Galleries of J. Merritt Malloney, Toronto, 4-24 May 1935, no. 55 as Shoreline, Georgian Bay, 1928, $60

At the invitation of art patron Dr. James MacCallum, Arthur Lismer’s first experience of Georgian Bay took place in the Fall of 1913. The unique and distinctive landscape of the bay had an indelible impact on the painter. With its crisp light, primordial geology, uncountable rocky islets and windswept pines, the region offered inspiration for a bold new form of expression in Canadian painting. Lismer enthused over his “happy isles”, returning for many repeat visits, often staying at McGregor Bay, up until the late 1940s. 

In the late 1920s, Lismer travelled on painting expeditions to the Rocky Mountains, Algoma and the shores of the St. Lawrence, in addition to Georgian Bay. Shoreline, Georgian Bay exudes the confidence of a masterful painter in vital engagement with his surroundings. The dramatic sky churns with energy. Dabs of white paint highlight the water’s surface in an Impressionistic manner. At right, dramatic gaps of blue sky break through the clouds and are mirrored in the lake’s reflection. This rapidly painted plein air sketch exemplifies the wonderful immediacy of Lismer’s Group of Seven- period oil sketches. Soon after its creation, this work was acquired by one of Lismer’s art students, a budding painter of enormous potential by the name of Doris McCarthy. 

Cowley Abbott is honoured to be offering the Canadian Club Brand Centre art collection, reflecting an important part of Windsor’s and Canada’s history.

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