Lot 42: Raymond John Mead 1921 - 1998 Canadian oil on

Raymond John Mead 1921 - 1998 Canadian oil on canvas Tidal Blue 57 x 66 inches 144.8 x 167.6 centimeters signed and dated 1991 and on verso signed, titled and dated Literature:David Burnett and Marilyn Schiff, Contemporary Canadian Art, 1983, page 50 Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada, 2007, page 106 Provenance:Private Collection, Toronto Ray Mead was born and educated in England, and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. He emigrated in 1946, settling in Hamilton, Ontario where he became a commercial artist and art director for an advertising agency. In 1953, he exhibited his work in the now famous Abstracts at Home, the Toronto show from which Painters Eleven came into being. Mead's work exhibited what David Burnett and Marilyn Schiff termed an "explosive energy on the surfaces of [his] paintings." Although his works were largely abstract, the images retained a sense of realism; Roald Nasgaard notes that Mead stated: "Basically, my painting is really landscape." Tidal Blue was painted in 1991, and demonstrates the multitude of influences that developed Mead's style, such as American Abstract Expressionism. The strong sense of composition is evidence of Mead's maturity as an artist, and within the bold, rich blue of the canvas there is a sense of movement upwards towards the dark slashes of colour. The heavy application of paint creates a richly textured and glowing colour field that gives a sense of open space within the work, encouraging our visual exploration.