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LOT 140

CAC RCA
1865 - 1924
Canadian

The Orchard
oil on canvas board, circa 1892
signed and on verso titled and inscribed "From J.W. Morrice's studio, Guaranteed by W. Scott & Sons" / "signed by the artist" and variously
15 1/4 x 12 in, 38.7 x 30.5 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

Sold for: $61,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
William Scott & Sons, Montreal, 1929
William Scott & Sons, Montreal, 1939
Roberts Gallery, Toronto, between 1949 and 1961
Important Sale by Auction, Waddington, McLean & Co., Toronto, November 28, 1987, lot 845
Private Collection, Ontario
By descent to the present Private Estate, Ontario

LITERATURE
Robert Ayre, “J.W. Morrice Pictures as Scott’s ‘One of [the] Greatest of Our Painters,' ” The Standard (Montreal), January 28, 1939, page 21
St. George Burgoyne, “Phases of Art of J.W. Morrice on View at Scott’s Galleries,” The Gazette (Montreal), January 28, 1939, page 5
Nicole Cloutier, James Wilson Morrice, 1865 – 1924, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1985, page 75, the 1911 canvas entitled Le verger, Le Pouldu, in the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, reproduced page 204
A.K. Prakash, Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery, 2015, page 333

EXHIBITED
William Scott & Sons, Montreal, Paintings by J.W. Morrice, January 24 – February 10, 1939


J.W. Morrice painted an amorous world guided by the furious melancholy of his own soul, a world in which sensuality was the whole of life. The only serious business was observation. Serene and tranquil, his art lay in the studied silence with which he removed all artificial barriers to what he saw. His art is a visual synthesis which arouses that rare state of satisfaction known as the aesthetic emotion – an art unto itself.

—A.K. Prakash

James Wilson Morrice spent most of his life in France, first arriving there about 1890. He became one of the most prominent Impressionists in Europe and Canada, and his contemporaries considered him one of the best landscape painters of the age. His observations of nature and of light were brilliant. He lived in Paris but often traveled to small towns and rural areas in France, such as Brittany and Normandy.

As he explored the countryside, he found a cultivated landscape, including orchards, and painted them in spring and summer around Saint-Malo (most of these views have sea backdrops) and Le Pouldu, in Brittany, and in Normandy. He must have found them a picturesque subject, whether laden with fruit or blossoming in spring, as in The Orchard, and he kept his compositions entirely natural, without buildings or the presence of people. As Nicole Cloutier wrote, “Morrice…sometimes employed rich vegetation in a similar manner to architecture, allowing it to dominate the entire composition.” In 1911, he painted the large canvas In the Le verger, Le Pouldu (collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts), which has a similar landscape setting. However, in Lucie Dorais’s judgment, our painting was most likely executed in Normandy, which was known for its apple orchards – Morrice traveled there often, as it was close to Paris.

This canvas would have been preceded by a pochade, a small oil on panel (slightly larger than a medium-size envelope) painted on the spot, to faithfully capture the details and atmosphere of the scene. Morrice’s sensitivity to light in The Orchard is exceptional. Sun breaks through an aperture in dark storm clouds on the left, flooding the field behind the fruit trees. This use of backlighting is a striking device, emphasizing the depth of the picture plane. It also serves to push the row of trees forward and make them more prominent. Their blossoming feels lively, an impression created by whirling daubs of pink and white pigment. The upturned branches in the central trees reinforce this vivacity. Small strokes of white-based paint in the grass and earth in the foreground echo the blossoms. Morrice’s brushwork is fluid and animated, creating the impression of a fresh and exciting day of changeable weather—a satisfying experience of “aesthetic emotion” in the peaceful French countryside.

This painting was exhibited by William Scott & Sons in Montreal in 1939, and art critics of the time included it in their reviews. Robert Ayre, writing in the Standard, commented, “There are early works like The Orchard, saturated with atmosphere.” St. George Burgoyne wrote in the Gazette of “a more sombre note” being sounded “in ‘The Orchard,’ with an expanse of gashed, grey sky and the fruit trees in blossom – a study in low tones capitally managed.”

We thank Lucie Dorais for her assistance with the cataloguing of this painting. This work will be included in Dorais’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work.


Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.