James W. G. Macdonald Paintings & Artwork for Sale | James W. G. Macdonald Art Value Price Guide

Jul. 20, 2024
Jock MacDonald Serigraph Abstract Composition
Est: $50 - $15,000
James (Jock) Williamson Galloway MacDonald (1897-1960) Silkscreen / Serigraph titled Clarion Call, 1958. Markgraf Silkscreen Reproduction. Framed, measures 31 inches H x 33 W.
Kavanagh Auctions
Jun. 27, 2024
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) MacDonald, OSA, RCA (1897-1960), THE DOVE
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) MacDonald, OSA, RCA (1897-1960), Canadian THE DOVE signed lower left; initialed lower right; titled to gallery label verso Estimate: $1,500—2,500 CAD
Waddington's
Nov. 09, 2018
James Williamson Galloway MacDonald, Canadian (1897-1960), British Columbia Indian Village, serigraph, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)
Est: $500 - $700
signed in plate
Maynards Fine Art & Antiques
Jul. 12, 2018
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD (CANADIAN, 1897-1960), UNTITLED (ABSTRACT), MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER; SIGNED AND DATED ‘58 LOWER LEFT; CHRISTMAS GREETING PAPER VERSO, INSCRIBED: Barbara & Jock MacDonald (Sheet, 4” x 5.8”) Note: Given to
Est: $500 - $700
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD (CANADIAN, 1897-1960) UNTITLED (ABSTRACT)MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER; SIGNED AND DATED ‘58 LOWER LEFT; CHRISTMAS GREETING PAPER VERSO, INSCRIBED: Barbara & Jock MacDonald (Sheet, 4” x 5.8”) Note: Given to Jordan Gallery, TorontoProvenance:THE ISAACS GALLERY, TorontoEstimate: $500—700
Waddington's
Apr. 19, 2018
JAMES WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A., THE FRUITFUL GRAPE, 1947, watercolour, 6.75 ins x 9.25 ins; 17.1 cms x 23.5 cms
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
JAMES WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.THE FRUITFUL GRAPE, 1947watercolour 6.75 ins x 9.25 ins; 17.1 cms x 23.5 cms Provenance:Roberts Gallery Limited, TorontoKastel Gallery Inc., Montreal Private Collection, MontrealEstimate: $1,000–1,500
Waddington's
Nov. 21, 2016
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A., THE BUTTERFLY, oil and Lucite 44 on board, 19.75 ins x 24 ins; 50.8 cms x 58.4 cms
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.THE BUTTERFLYoil and Lucite 44 on boardsigned and dated ‘57; also signed and titled on the reverse 19.75 ins x 24 ins; 50.8 cms x 58.4 cms Provenance:Private Collection, OntarioPrivate Collection, British Columbia (by descent)Literature:Joyce Zemans, Jock Macdonald: The Inner Landscape, A Retrospective Exhibition, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1981, page 207 for The Butterfly, 1946 a watercolour directly related to this lot, in the collection of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, reproduced. Joyce Zemans, Jock Macdonald: 1897-1960, (Canadian Artists Series), National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1985, page 7, 24 and page 45 for this lot reproduced.Note:Joyce Zemans states: "The art of Jock Macdonald, one of Canada's greatest and most dedicated exponents of abstract painting, represents in microcosm the development of abstract art in this country." In short, though his role is often eclipsed by the story of abstract art in Quebec, Macdonald's influence on a generation of abstract artists assuredly in Ontario if not more broadly was as crucial as Borduas’ was in Quebec. Macdonald's full-time teaching responsibilities at OCA during the mid-50s left him limited time for painting but Zemans tells us that over the summer of 1956 he was able to devote himself full time to his practice. It was at this time that he discovered DUCO, a product which allowed him to paint with greater fluidity but at a huge cost; DUCO had an unfortunate odor that sickened Macdonald who was compelled to paint with his windows thrown wide open. He experimented with the product until Harold Town introduced him to Lucite 44 which rendered similar effects to DUCO without the dreadful smell. Zemans notes: ”Fluid and quick drying, it allowed Macdonald to work in oil on canvas or masonite as he had in watercolour on paper." Indeed, Macdonald produced The Butterfly in 1957, inspired by a work of the same name he had executed in watercolour and ink only a year prior achieving in this new medium an almost identical effect. According to Zemans in January 1958 the influential New York art critic Clement Greenburg (friend and adviser to color field painters everywhere), "told Macdonald that his latest work was 'hitting absolute tops'.” This lot, The Butterfly, hails from that seminal period. Estimate: $20,000–30,000
Waddington's
Nov. 04, 2016
Jock Macdonald, (3) paintings
Est: $100 - $150
Jock Macdonald (Canadian, 1897-1960), Abstract compositions, colors on paper, (2) signed "Jock Macdonald '58/'59", lower left, largest: 3.5"l x 4.75"w (sheet), smallest: 3"l x 4"w (sheet), matted and framed under glass
Millea Bros Ltd
Jul. 07, 2016
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD (CANADIAN, 1897-1960), UNTITLED (BIRDS), WATERCOLOUR; SIGNED AND DATED 1945 LOWER LEFT (Sight, 9.8” x 6.5”)
Est: -
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD (CANADIAN, 1897-1960)UNTITLED (BIRDS)WATERCOLOUR; SIGNED AND DATED 1945 LOWER LEFT (Sight, 9.8” x 6.5”)Estimate: $1,200—1,500
Waddington's
Nov. 24, 2014
JAMES WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A., PROPHETIC, oil and Lucite 44 on canvas, 30 ins x 40 ins; 76.2 cms x 101.6 cms
Est: $40,000 - $50,000
JAMES WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.PROPHETICoil and Lucite 44 on canvassigned and dated '57 30 ins x 40 ins; 76.2 cms x 101.6 cms Provenance:Private Collection, CanadaLiterature:Iris Nowell, Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art, Douglas & McIntyre, Toronto, 2010, page 224, reproduced in colour, page 212.Note:In 1956, Harold Town introduced Jock Macdonald to a new medium - a fluid, quick-drying solution called Lucite 44. Writing to Maxwell Bates on August 7, 1957, Macdonald likened the introduction to an epiphany of sorts: "I have twenty-two new things done since the college closed in the middle of May... They are altogether different from anything I have ever done and in our opinion far superior... Using Lucite with oil has enabled me to paint with a flow and quickly - but not slapdash."The mid-point of the Painters Eleven period marked the maturation of Jock Macdonald's style. His canvases became larger and more dramatic - affirmed as "absolute tops" by art critic, Clement Greenberg. Powerful colours and veils of soft paint infuse Prophetic with an astute expression of feeling and highly-charged emotion.
Waddington's
Jun. 03, 2013
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A., PLATO'S CAVE, oil on canvas board, 16 ins x 20 ins; 40 cms x 50 cms
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.PLATO'S CAVE, oil on canvas board; signed and dated /60 16 ins x 20 ins; 40 cms x 50 cms Provenance: Estate of the artist, Toronto.Roberts Gallery, Toronto.Private Collection, Toronto.Exhibited: Jock Macdonald: A Retrospective, Roberts Gallery, Toronto, January 5-20, 1962, (also titled "Roseate Rapture" by the family of the artist according to the present owner).Literature: Joyce Zemans, "Jock Macdonald: the inner landscape/a retrospective exhibition", Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1981, pages 211, 229 and 241.Iris Nowell, "Painters Eleven, The Wild Ones of Canadian Art", Toronto, 2010, pages 205 and 213.Note: Following a retrospective exhibition at the Art Gallery Toronto of Macdonald's work in the spring of 1960, the artist had many doors open for him. Joyce Zemans notes how "the Roberts Gallery, which 'previously...wouldn't look at [his] stuff' asked to represent him, taking six oils and six watercolours immediately. He was pleased in spite of the gallery's former position, as Roberts was 'an excellent gallery'."In "Plato's Cave", Macdonald depicts darkness and depth that contrast luminous, amorphous shapes with emanating red and cream coloured forms. Zemans writes that "Macdonald moved beyond the all-over composition to concentrate on a powerful central image. It is an image that comes alive primarily through colour and through the tension established between the fluid elemental shapes." The title alludes to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", a symbol for contrasts between ideas and the perception of reality. By not concerning himself with the representation of "natural appearances" Macdonald's painting is not "an escape from life but may be a penetration into reality-and an expression of the significance of life..."Always an inspiring teacher, Macdonald had a lasting effect on his students and colleagues. William Ronald, fellow Painters Eleven member, remarked: "I owe everything to Jock...Anything that I do is due to Jock. Without him I think I would still be in the third-year drawing and painting class." "Plato's Cave" highlights the philosophical views that Macdonald expressed throughout his painting career, continuously adding a deeper level of meaning to his art.
Waddington's
May. 15, 2013
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on canvas board ""Victory"" Garden, Rutland, BC 12 x 14 7/8 inches 30.5 x 37.8 centimeters on verso signed, titled and dated 1944 Provenance:Acquired directly from the Artist By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver During World War II, victory gardens of vegetables and fruits were planted at both private residences and public spaces such as parks, intended to supplement the public food supply during wartime - particularly in Britain where food was rationed. This also occurred in the United States and Canada, as indicated in the title of this fine painting. This grassroots drive was a tremendous success, increasing self-sufficiency and raising morale during wartime. Macdonald painted this scene during the summer of 1944 when he traveled to the Okanagan Valley from Vancouver. He reacted to the Okanagan's Mediterranean climate by using softer forms and a warm colour palette, and loved the quality of brilliant light in this area. Macdonald depicted this rural scene with a fine sense of rhythm in the rolling hills, and in the fences and buildings following the lines of the undulating land. Sculpted cloud formations hovering above the hills add to the peaceful, dreamy mood - a world away from what was happening in Britain and Europe, yet still connected through the "victory" garden.
Heffel
May. 15, 2013
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on canvas board Kalamalka Lake (Looking South), Okanagan, BC 12 x 14 1/2 inches 30.5 x 36.8 centimeters signed and dated 1945 and on verso signed, titled, dated and inscribed ""44779"" Literature:Joyce Zemans, Jock Macdonald, The Inner Landscape / A Retrospective Exhibition, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1981, page 107 Provenance:Acquired directly from the Artist By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver In the Art Gallery of Ontario's retrospective exhibition catalogue, Joyce Zemans writes of Jock Macdonald's Interior works: "The Okanagan seems to have elicited a new vision, and the grandeur of the Rockies and of Garibaldi gave way to softer forms. The darkening clouds of a summer storm or the brilliant light of the summer sun along with a rich, brightly coloured palette create vibrant colour harmonies to unify these paintings." This fine Okanagan panorama is a nostalgic reminder of a time when Interior lakes like Kalamalka were only sparsely populated. The successive layers of benchlands and steep hills plunging into the lake tapering off to shadowy blue mountains in the distance are a pure and tranquil expression of the beauty of this Mediterranean-like area of British Columbia's Interior region. In 1944, Macdonald's Okanagan paintings were featured in a one-man exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which was critically well-received. The National Gallery of Canada has one of Macdonald's Okanagan canvases among the group of his works in its collection, dated 1944 - 1945 and entitled Thunder Clouds Over Okanagan Lake.
Heffel
May. 15, 2013
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $6,000 - $12,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on board Castle Towers - Garibaldi Park, BC 12 x 14 7/8 inches 30.5 x 37.8 centimeters signed and dated 1943 and on verso signed and titled Literature:Joyce Zemans, Jock Macdonald: The Inner Landscape / A Retrospective Exhibition, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1981, page 101, the related 1943 canvas entitled Castle Towers Garibaldi Park reproduced page 103 and listed page 282 Provenance:Acquired directly from the Artist By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver Exhibited:Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Jock Macdonald: The Inner Landscape / A Retrospective Exhibition, 1981, traveling in 1981 - 1982 to the Art Gallery of Windsor, The Edmonton Art Gallery, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Vancouver Art Gallery, the related 1943 canvas entitled Castle Towers Garibaldi Park, catalogue #30 Jock Macdonald taught at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts until 1933, when he and Group of Seven painter Frederick Varley formed the British Columbia College of Arts. Both artists painted together at Garibaldi in 1929 and 1934. After their school closed, Macdonald spent several years living simply at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, before returning to Vancouver in 1936 to teach and paint. For the next decade, before turning to abstraction, the landscape would dominate his work. In the early 1940s Lawren Harris moved to Vancouver, and Macdonald and Harris went on sketching trips together and exchanged ideas about the Transcendental movement and theories from the leading proponents of spiritualism. Macdonald spent the summers of 1942 and 1943 in Garibaldi Park, and the effect of these influences can be seen in stunning works such as this, in which the formal and spiritual merge in the magnificent mountain forms and glowing light. Macdonald exclaimed that the nearby Sphinx Glacier "was the most powerful force I have ever seen outside the mountainous waters of the open Pacific", and here found a cosmic oneness with nature.
Heffel
Mar. 17, 2013
Jock MacDonald, gelatin silver prints
Est: $400 - $600
(lot of 4) Photograph by Jock MacDonald, "Twins in the Window (1993)", Photograph (2) by Linda S. Connor; "Lightning Tree" and "Lamp Dome of the Rock", and Photograph by Gay Outlaw, "O Solo Mio"
Clars Auctions
May. 31, 2012
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian mixed media on paper The Snail Bird
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian mixed media on paper The Snail Bird 15 1/4 x 18 3/4 inches 38.7 x 47.6 centimeters signed and dated 1949 and on verso titled on various exhibition labels and inscribed with the artist's address, "23 Millbank Avenue, Toronto" on various labels Provenance:By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver Exhibited:Ontario Society of Artists, 77th Annual Exhibition, 1949 Canadian National Exhibition Vancouver Art Gallery, Picture Fund Exhibition
Heffel
Mar. 29, 2012
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian colour serigraph on card Park Seat
Est: $400 - $600
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian colour serigraph on card Park Seat 10 3/8 x 6 inches 26.3 x 15.2 centimeters signed, titled and dated 1948 Provenance:Private Collection, Ontario
Heffel
Nov. 28, 2011
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD1897 - 1960
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
ZERO FLAME signed and dated '56 lower left; signed and titled on the stretcher oil on canvas 61 by 77 cm. 24 by 30¼ in.
Sotheby's
Nov. 28, 2011
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD1897 - 1960
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
ABSTRACT COMPOSITION signed and dated /60 lower right oil on canvas 56 by 71.2 cm. 22 by 28 in.
Sotheby's
Nov. 26, 2011
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $8,000 - $10,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on board Mt. Huber from Lake O'Hara 12 x 15 inches 30.5 x 38.1 centimeters signed and dated 1941 and on verso titled and inscribed ""(11-041-Pr)"" Provenance:Gift from the Artist to Arthur Farley Collection of Lilias Farley, Whitehorse, Yukon Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Vancouver
Heffel
May. 26, 2011
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on academy board Okanagan Lake from Peachland
Est: $9,000 - $12,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on academy board Okanagan Lake from Peachland 12 x 14 1/2 inches 30.5 x 36.8 centimeters signed and dated 1944 and on verso signed, titled and dated Provenance:Dr. H.B. McGregor, Penticton, BC By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver
Heffel
Nov. 23, 2010
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960 LA PLACE, TOURETTES signed and dated lower right J.W.G Macdonald/ '55 ; signed with artist's name and Toronto address, numbered 26 and titled La Place, Tourettes on the reverse oil on canvas laid down on board 30.5 by 40.6 cm. 12 by 16 in.
Sotheby's
Nov. 23, 2010
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960 CARNIVAL signed lower left J.W.G. Macdonald '55; signed and titled No 57/ Carnival (Nice) by the artist on the reverse; further titled Riviera Carnival by the artist on his label and Carnival (Nice) 1955 , on an exhibition label on the backing coloured inks on board 26.7 by 34.9 cm. 10 ½ by 13 ¾ in.
Sotheby's
Nov. 22, 2010
JAMES WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A, A.R.C.A.CAPRICE
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
JAMES WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD, O.S.A, A.R.C.A.CAPRICE, oil on canvas, laid down on board, signed and dated /5816 ins x 20 ins; 40 cms x 50 cmsProvenance: Sale of Canadian Art, The Women's Committee of the Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto. Private Collection, Toronto.
Waddington's
Jun. 02, 2010
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $12,000 - $15,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960 UNTITLED signed lower left with the artist's monogram; titled in pencil on the reverse oil on panel 37.5 by 30.5 cm. 14 ¾ by 12 in.
Sotheby's
Jun. 02, 2010
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960 KELOWNA LANDSCAPE signed centre left J.W.G. MACDONALD oil on board 30.5 by 40.6 cm. 12 by 16 in.
Sotheby's
Jun. 02, 2010
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $8,000 - $10,000
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960 ETHERIAL FORM [SIC] signed and dated lower left J.W.G. MACDONALD 1935 ; bears signature, title and dated Etherial Form [sic] 1934 in another hand on the reverse oil on panel 38.1 by 30.5 cm. 15 by 12 in.
Sotheby's
May. 31, 2010
James (Jock) Williamson Galloway Macdonald (Canadian, 1897-1960) Polynesian Morning image
Est: £2,000 - £3,000
Polynesian Morning signed 'Jock (J.W.G.) Macdonald' in the margin (lower right) and numbered 13/20 (lower left); titled "POLYNESIAN MORNING' on the reverse and titled, dated (1950's) and numbered on a gallery label on the backing on the reverse lithograph on wove paper 23.5 x 26.5cm (9 1/4 x 10 7/16in).image
Bonhams
Dec. 03, 2009
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $12,000 - $16,000
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS NEAR BANFF, ALBERTA signed and dated l.l.: Jock Macdonald '53
Sotheby's
Dec. 03, 2009
JAMES (JOCK) WILLIAMSON GALLOWAY MACDONALD 1897 - 1960
Est: $12,000 - $16,000
IN A SOUNDLESS WORLD signed u.l: Jock MacDonald '56. Also signed and titled by the artist on the reverse twice, once on a label.
Sotheby's
Nov. 26, 2009
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian watercolour on paper Cross and Recross / Colour in Stained Glass "15 x 18 3/4 inches 38.1 x 47.6 centimeters signed and dated 1951 and on verso titled on the Roberts Gallery label Cross and Recross and titled on the work in graphite Colour in Stained Glass Provenance:Roberts Gallery, Toronto By descent to the present Private Collection, Toronto In 1947, Jock Macdonald and his wife Barbara left British Columbia for Toronto where he had accepted a teaching post at the Ontario College of Art. Finding the art school severely lacking in its curriculum, Macdonald took it upon himself to educate the younger generation of artists in the practices and philosophies of modernism. He took great pride in the accomplishments of his students, and boasted William Ronald and Dennis Burton amongst his most best-known pupils. In his own work, Macdonald remained dedicated to abstraction and continued to make automatic watercolours, in which he allowed his unconscious mind to dictate the movement of his paintbrush. Cross and Recross is a striking example from this body of work in which his passion for the natural world manifested itself in the liberated spontaneity of his dynamic use of colour. Abstraction was only slowly entering the Canadian artistic consciousness, and Macdonald's developments in Expressionism were extremely influential. He would eventually become the unofficial leader of the group Painters Eleven, which formed in 1953 and was dedicated to the promotion of abstract art in Canada. "
Heffel
Nov. 26, 2009
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian watercolour on paper Fantasy in Equilibrium "14 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches 37.5 x 47.6 centimeters signed and dated 1948 and on verso titled on the Roberts Gallery label Provenance:Roberts Gallery, Toronto By descent to the present Private Collection, Toronto In 1927 Jock Macdonald emigrated from Scotland to Canada after accepting the post of head of design and commercial advertising at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (now the Emily Carr University of Art + Design). With the encouragement of his new colleague Frederick Varley, Macdonald began painting figurative landscapes in oils, and accompanied Varley on painting excursions throughout British Columbia. By the late 1930s, however, Macdonald had become increasingly frustrated with both the medium and method of expression in his work and began to conduct further experiments in abstract art. These explorations culminated in a succession of automatic watercolour paintings such as Fantasy in Equilibrium, where Macdonald used the elusive properties of the medium to gain freedom in his compositions. In the summers of 1948 and 1949, Macdonald studied under Hans Hofmann, with whom he shared a great kinship and who encouraged his studies in Abstract Expressionism. Both artists found their inspiration in nature, and Fantasy in Equilibrium reflects Macdonald's enthusiasm for not only his discoveries in media and technique, but also the emotional and creative output they afforded him. "
Heffel
Nov. 25, 2009
JOCK WILLIAM GALLOWAY MACDONALD (1897-1960 ARCA OSA CGP)
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Abstract Composition
Walker's
Nov. 19, 2008
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on canvas Garibaldi Park, BC " 26 x 30 inches 66 x 76.2 centimeters signed and dated 1942 Literature:Joyce Zemans, Jock Macdonald, The Inner Landscape: A Retrospective Exhibition, The Art Gallery of Ontario, 1981, page 101, a similar 1943 oil on canvas entitled Castle Towers, Garibaldi Park reproduced page 103 Provenance:Acquired directly from the Artist By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver Jock Macdonald arrived in Canada from England in 1926 to take a position at the Vancouver School of Art as Head of Design. While there, he met Group of Seven artist Fred Varley, and in 1933 they formed their own art school, the British Columbia College of Arts. Macdonald accompanied Varley on numerous sketching trips, visiting Garibaldi in 1929 and 1934. Macdonald also became friends with Lawren Harris in the early 1940s, accompanying him on sketching expeditions that included the Rockies. He shared Harris's profound interest in the spiritual properties of this majestic landscape. The summers of 1942 and 1943 found Macdonald in Garibaldi Park once again, and in its silence and grandeur, as Zemans writes, he "sought once again to integrate the spiritual and formal concerns of his art." While there, Macdonald was inspired by the Sphinx Glacier, calling it "the most powerful force I have ever seen outside the mountainous waters of the open Pacific." This stunning painting of Garibaldi Park possesses clarity and precision, and a keen awareness of light and atmosphere that transmits a transcendent grandeur.
Heffel
Nov. 19, 2008
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
James Williamson Galloway (Jock) Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian oil on board Abstract 35 1/4 x 37 1/2 inches 89.5 x 95.2 centimeters Literature:William Withrow, Contemporary Canadian Painting, 1972, pages 18 - 20 Provenance:Private Collection, Toronto Inscribed on verso by Eric Freifeld on March 18, 1980, ""In my considered opinion this is unquestionably a JWG MacDonald (Jock) work of his last period."" Jock Macdonald is considered one of Canada's most influential and important artists. He was not only devoted to his craft, but was also a teacher and mentor to many of those who would go on to become Canada's most critical artists. Macdonald was a central figure in the development of the Painters Eleven group, having been introduced to the group through its founding member William Ronald. Although Macdonald depicted landscapes throughout his artistic career, it is perhaps his abstract works that are most intriguing. Prior to becoming a member of the Painters Eleven, Macdonald studied with Hans Hofmann in New York during the summers of 1948 and 1949. This period was likely to have been the preliminary step to the maturation of his work into an abstract form of expression. In the latter period of his work until his death in 1960, Macdonald's paintings reflected a greater boldness of colour and freedom of movement, which is so clearly evident in this work. Ann Pollock wrote in the National Gallery of Canada's retrospective exhibition catalogue, "The last three years of Macdonald's life were, in many ways, his happiest and most productive. He was aware that he was finally achieving a personal style that would express all his feelings and ideas concerning life and nature."
Heffel
Mar. 29, 2008
Jock (James) Williamson Galloway Macdonald 1897 -
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Jock (James) Williamson Galloway Macdonald 1897 - 1960 Canadian coloured ink on paper Here Stands a Lady AOL0308-E05628-001 14 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches 36.2 x 26.7 centimeters signed and dated 1948 Provenance:Roberts Gallery, Toronto Private Collection, Toronto
Heffel