Lot 46: Edward John (E.J.) Hughes 1913 - 2007 Canadian oil

Edward John (E.J.) Hughes 1913 - 2007 Canadian oil on canvas View of a Freighter at Crofton, BC 32 x 40 inches 81.3 x 101.6 centimeters signed and dated 1976 and on verso signed, titled, dated December 1976, inscribed ""24"" and with the Dominion Gallery inventory #F6560 and stamped Dominion Gallery Literature:The E.J. Hughes Album: The Paintings - Volume I, 1932 - 1991, 2011, reproduced page 68 Provenance:Dominion Gallery, Montreal Private Collection, Switzerland E.J. Hughes's acute observation of detail can be perceived in his inscription on verso: "This ship seems to have just arrived at the wharf and has not started to load, as the derricks are all at the same angle, and lumber is not piled on the deck, as it usually is when a ship has been loading. The little car ferry on the right is on its way to the wharf at Crofton village, out of the picture to the right. The ferry has just come from Salt Spring Island, part of which can be seen in the background." Crofton, a mill town north of Duncan on Vancouver Island, was a favourite subject for Hughes, as were the boats that plied the coast - steamers, ferries, freighters and pleasure craft. Hughes emphasizes patterning in this scene, contrasting the vertical elements of derricks on the ship and tall lamp posts to the square building blocks in the long horizontal warehouse and the stacked lumber, ends painted bright red. The inclusion of the Crofton ferry is a classic Hughes element in this vital and colourful coastal port scene.