Lot 39: Jean Albert McEwen 1923 - 1999 Canadian oil on

Jean Albert McEwen 1923 - 1999 Canadian oil on canvas Compagnon de silence #2 39 x 39 inches 99 x 99 centimeters on verso signed, titled and dated 1973 Literature:Constance Naubert-Riser, Jean McEwen: Colour in Depth: Paintings and Works on Paper, 1951 - 1987, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1987, page 38 Provenance:Marlborough-Godard, Toronto Private Collection, Toronto The year 1973 was an important one for Jean McEwen, as he resigned from his position at the pharmaceutical company Charles E. Frosst & Co. to devote his time to his art. In this year he executed the series Compagnon de silence, prominently featured in the exhibition Jean McEwen: 1953 - 1973 at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. McEwen wrote in his artist's book Cul de lampe: "A painting is created from rhythm, form, space, light, shade and colour - but it is the feeling, the poetry of the painter that produces the harmony." The title Compagnon de silence is taken from the poem Le bois amical by Paul Valéry, clearly establishing the strong alliance between pictorial image, poetic memory and the personal expression of McEwen. The luminous surface of Compagnon de silence #2 shows McEwen's sensitive exploration of space through the layering of colour fields and exudes the emotive properties of colour itself. The luscious tones and sheer sensuality of his paint surfaces are seductive beyond measure. In November 2010, Heffel set a new auction record for McEwen with the sale of the large canvas from this series, entitled Compagnon de silence.