CANADIAN POST~WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART - Heffel

HEFFEL FINE ART AUCTION HOUSE 47
33 RITA LETENDRE
ARCA QMG 1929 ~
Réseaux d’intrigue
oil on canvas, signed and dated 1958 and on verso
signed, titled and dated on the stretcher
26 x 32 1/4 in, 66 x 81.9 cm
PROVENANCE:
Private Collection, Toronto
LITERATURE:
Linda Jansma, Rita Letendre: Beginnings in Abstraction, 2005,
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, reproduced page 15
EXHIBITED:
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Rita Letendre:
Beginnings in Abstraction, September 23, 2005 ~ September 24, 2006
When she painted Réseaux d’intrigue in 1958, Rita Letendre’s work had
achieved a level of maturity that was being rewarded with significant
public recognition. She was exhibiting regularly in post~Automatist
group shows, and a solo show at Montreal’s Galerie Artek in October of
that year had earned her considerable favour with local critics. Although
Letendre was a devoted pupil of Paul~Émile Borduas, this striking canvas
implies contemplation of not only the instinctive approach of the
Automatists, but also the coherent structure of the Plasticiens. While the
use of a palette knife and tache~style marking is reminiscent of the
paintings of Jean~Paul Riopelle, there is nonetheless a deliberate order to
this composition that is premeditated and supremely conscious. Réseaux
d’intrigue is an exceptional example of Letendre’s skill and identity as a
modern painter; she participates in the dialogue of abstraction with
currency and force, while contributing her own distinctive and influential
attitudes. The exhibition of this work at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
in 2005 attests to Letendre’s enduring importance. This is a brilliant
example of the artist in her most inspired and prolific years.
Please note: this work is in the original frame made by the artist and is
accompanied by The Robert McLaughlin Gallery exhibition catalogue.
ESTIMATE: $35,000 ~ 45,000
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