Lot 74: Paul-Émile Borduas 1905 - 1960 Canadian oil on

Paul-Émile Borduas 1905 - 1960 Canadian oil on canvas Arabesque "42 x 32 inches 106.7 x 81.3 centimeters signed and dated 1955 and on verso titled and dated on the artist's label Literature:François-Marc Gagnon, Paul-Émile Borduas (1905 - 1960), Biographie critique et analyse de l'oeuvre, 1978, pages 384 and 528 Provenance:Gilles Corbeil, Maurice Corbeil and Gérard Beaulieu, 1955 Galerie Agnès Lefort, Montreal Private Collection, Victoria Paul-Émile Borduas's 1955 canvas Arabesque appears on a list of 18 paintings acquired by Gilles Corbeil, acting on behalf of his brother Maurice Corbeil, the well-known industrialist and collector, Gérard Beaulieu and himself. Borduas dated this list of works September 17, 1955. He was about to depart for Paris on September 21, when he embarked on the Liberté with his daughter Jeannine. In fact, the acquisition of this important collection of paintings was decided earlier, since we know that it was paid for on August 31, and that the first discussions about this deal date back as far as March 1955, when Gilles Corbeil visited Borduas at his New York Studio. Borduas was very happy about this sale on the eve of his departure, since it made his sojourn in Paris easier. He was very appreciative of Gilles Corbeil, one of his staunch supporters in Canada, and on the back of one of the paintings of the series, Carnet de bal, 1955, he wrote: "À mon cher Gilles en témoignage d'une rencontre."""" (To my dear Gilles, as a token of an encounter.) One thing that this brief contextualization made clear is that Arabesque and the other paintings acquired at that time belonged to Borduas's New York period. Even if, as in this painting, they indicated by certain characteristics the future development of his Black and White paintings, they are to be understood exclusively in the context of New York painting. It is clear, for instance, that in Arabesque, Borduas has completely assimilated the idea of an all-over composition, prevalent then in New York. All-overness could e defined more as a way to construct a painting than to compose one, since the idea was to get rid of the well-organized pictorial space of European painting. No planning in advance was necessary, and no sketches either. The picture was a risky experience, but full of promise. In an all-over painting there is no one major point of focalization, but many of them, all of equal importance. There is also no hierarchy between the elements, and the whole surface seems equally occupied. You might have the impression that it could go on like this in all directions, and that what we see is only a small section of a more extended phenomenon. And often, just a portion of the painting gives an effect quite similar to the whole. But what gives the painting its title is the arabesque motif in red that we see superimposed as calligraphic signs written on the white or black background. Borduas seems to have been fascinated by this decorative motif, since we know of at least two other paintings with the same title (one rom 1951 and another from 1956). As we know, the arabesque is an element of Islamic art, consisting of a repetitive geometric form used to decorate the walls of a mosque, because, by definition, it avoids any form of iconography. The repeated calligraphic arabesques in Borduas's painting have the same meaning. They exclude any figurative reading of the painting and call for a more formalist approach. When this is understood, the effect of the whole painting is quite spectacular. In Arabesque, one has the sense of spontaneity and control, of order and movement, of organic forms and geometry. The white background is extremely rich in color, with warm grey and bistre accents, and full of movement - almost musical. Borduas revealed himself here as perfectly able to assimilate the prevalent trend of New York painting of the 1950s, and to immerse it in a completely personal idiom. This work is indeed a masterpiece. We thank François-Marc Gagnon of the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute of Studies i Canadian Art, Concordia University, for contributing the above essay. This work is included in François-Marc Gagnon's online catalogue raisonné of the artist's work at: "