Lot 5: Bertram Charles (B.C.) Binning 1909 - 1976

Bertram Charles (B.C.) Binning 1909 - 1976 Canadian oil on board Vacant and Occupied Squares 17 3/4 x 11 7/8 inches 45.1 x 30.2 centimeters signed and dated 1950 and on verso titled and inscribed ""16"" on the artist's label Literature:Abraham J. Rogatnick, Ian M. Thom and Adele Weder, B.C. Binning, 2006, page 125 Provenance:Private Collection, Ontario B.C. Binning's interest in abstraction goes back to 1939 in London when he studied at the Ozenfant Academy with Henry Moore, at which time he became aware of the work of artists such as Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee. In 1947, Binning took a leave from teaching at the Vancouver School of Art to design two houses and, in the process, reconsidered the direction of his painting. The influence of architecture heightened his awareness of the formal elements of painting, and he had "the sudden realization of what can happen creatively when one frees not only colour, but form and everything else, from visual accident and recreates through the formal and architectural approach." By 1948 Binning was painting pivotal works of abstracted marine subjects, and marine motifs became important elements in his work. Vacant and Occupied Squares, from this important period, takes abstraction a step further, and its contrasting textural background, shapes, strong colour areas and patterning create a vital dance of forms. Lyrical yet formally balanced, Vacant and Occupied Squares is evidence of Binning's status as a quintessential West Coast modernist.