Lot 140: James Wilson Morrice 1865 - 1924 Canadian oil on

James Wilson Morrice 1865 - 1924 Canadian oil on canvas on board Boats by a Promenade 9 x 12 1/2 inches 22.9 x 31.7 centimeters signed and on verso inscribed ""8533"" Provenance:Ernest E. Poole, Edmonton By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver One of Canada's finest Impressionist painters, James Wilson Morrice lived abroad for most of his life, principally in France. Consequently, he was internationally well known, exhibiting in the Paris Salons and throughout Europe and England, participating in over 140 exhibitions between 1888 and 1923. While Paris was his main centre, he loved the Brittany coast and often sketched in small seaside towns such as Dinard, Concarneau, Le Pouldu and Saint-Malo. Morrice was drawn to scenes of beaches with people at leisure, sailing regattas and boat harbours, and depicted their atmospheres with great sensitivity, as he did here in Boats by a Promenade, with its reflection of the row of boats rippling in the water. Morrice's Impressionist vision of colour and light is depicted here with a fluid and unified approach in his brush-strokes, with details such as the onlooker on the promenade with a parasol adding to the mood of leisurely contemplation of this delightful harbour scene. We thank Lucie Dorais for her assistance in researching this lot. Dorais is currently compiling a catalogue raisonné on the artist's work.