Lot 8: Jean Albert McEwen 1923 - 1999 Canadian oil on

Jean Albert McEwen 1923 - 1999 Canadian oil on canvas Étude pour Murale Place des Arts 20 x 20 inches 50.8 x 50.8 centimeters signed and on verso signed, titled and dated September 1966 - 1967 Provenance:Private Collection, Ontario Jean McEwen was experienced with large-scale commissions, as he had completed a five-panel work for the Toronto International Airport in 1963 and designed a series of stained glass pieces for Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) in 1966. The following year, McEwen completed an oil mural for the Théâtre Port-Royal of Montreal's Place des Arts (now the Théâtre Jean-Duceppe) entitled Éclats de gaité verte. This fiery piece is a study for the mural still on display at the theatre, although it is a self-contained and powerful work in itself. Étude pour Murale Place des Arts demonstrates the artist's strong relationship with primary elements of formalism - colour, rhythm, shape and depth. McEwen employs his characteristic vertical band, which he used to balance the pictorial plane and to create depth. The stratification of orange and red paint layers create an inferno of colour, allowing them to radiate from within the canvas. In 1966 and 1967, McEwen was included in various important exhibitions, including shows at the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée du Québec, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '67, Montreal.