CANADIAN POST~WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART - Heffel

HEFFEL FINE ART AUCTION HOUSE 125 EDWARD JOHN (E.J.) HUGHESBCSFA CGP RCA 1913 ~ 2007Mouth of the Courtenay River, BCgraphite on card, signed and dated 1952and on verso signed, titled and dated15 x 18 in, 38.1 x 45.7 cmPROVENANCE:Acquired directly from the ArtistBy descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver IslandLITERATURE:Doris Shadbolt, E.J. Hughes, Vancouver Art Gallery, 1967, the canvasproduced from this drawing, in the collection of the College of Physiciansand Surgeons, reproduced page 23Ian M. Thom, E.J. Hughes, Vancouver Art Gallery, 2002, the canvasproduced from this drawing, in the collection of the College of Physiciansand Surgeons, reproduced page 109Jacques Barbeau, A Journey with E.J. Hughes, 2005, a related 2003watercolour entitled Mouth of the Courtenay River reproduced page 110E.J. Hughes produced graphite drawings in the field, annotated inpreparation for future paintings. He preferred this working method dueto the rapid weather changes of the West Coast, and because of the natureof his precise, highly detailed compositions. In letters to Lawren Harris, hementioned that he had attempted sketches using other mediums, but hadconcluded that graphite drawings were the best for him. From the fieldsketch, he would also sometimes make a further highly detailed, finishedgraphite drawing which he called a cartoon. These cartoons, with refinedcompositions and an astonishing sense of atmosphere achieved throughtonalities of graphite, acted as a bridge between the field sketch and thestudio painting, and were finished works in themselves.This exquisite cartoon from 1952, a highly sought~after period in Hughes’swork, has all the elements of a classic Hughes: a beautiful natural scenewarmed by the presence of boats and people in a complex multi~layeredcomposition. The setting is the Courtenay River, which flows into anestuary known for its salmon spawning grounds.ESTIMATE: $10,000 ~ 15,0005