PROVENANCE
Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal, 1973
The Collection of Torben V. Kristiansen, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Dennis Reid, Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1985, page 50 and reproduced page 88

EXHIBITED
Art Association of Montreal, Spring Exhibition, May 9 – June 18, 1952, catalogue #27
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Arthur Lismer, 1954 – 1955, Western Art Circuit, traveling exhibition, catalogue #11
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer, September 28 – November 24, 1985, catalogue #61
Vancouver Art Gallery, date unknown

Morning in the Forest, B.C. is a classic example of Arthur Lismer’s work during his time in British Columbia, where he spent 16 summers. When sketching on site, Lismer would often flip his sketch box sideways so as to capture the verticality of the towering old-growth trees found on the very west coast of the country. Here, he successfully transfers the dramatic scale of the lofty trees but also the vibrant, lush growth of the forest bed onto his canvas board. Morning in the Forest, B.C. has been exhibited in museums across the country since its creation and was included in Dennis Reid’s important 1985 Art Gallery of Ontario exhibition Canadian Jungle: The Later Work of Arthur Lismer, which focused on works from this fruitful period. As described by Reid, “The dark trunks of trees—but with an occasional glimmering shard of sky—form a swag-curtain background to the tumbling jewel-like plants of the forest floor.” Morning in the Forest, B.C. is a dynamic work, alive with colour and vitality, the jungle-like environment of the coastal forest skilfully captured by Lismer’s expert hand.

For the biography on Torben V. Kristiansen in PDF format, please click here.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars