Lot 40: Fernand Leduc 1916 - Canadian oil on canvas

Fernand Leduc 1916 - Canadian oil on canvas Chromatisme binaire: noir-rouge 13 x 18 inches 33 x 45.7 centimeters signed and dated 1964 and on verso signed, titled, dated on the stretcher and inscribed ""Attestation d'authencité, F Leduc, 15/02/89"" and ""Collection appartenant à Claire Leduc, 15/02/89"" Provenance:Claire Leduc, Montreal Private Collection, Toronto Fernand Leduc is an important contributor to Quebec and Canadian abstract painting with connections to both the Automatist and Plasticien movements. Leduc's devotion to abstraction had its origins in 1948 when he was a signatory of the Automatists' Refus Global manifesto. Shortly thereafter, Leduc found himself and his work moving away from the spontaneous compositions of the Automatists towards a more controlled methodology of painting, and he became a member of the Plasticiens. It was with this new focus on the elements of colour, line and contrast that this piece, Chromatisme binaire: noire-rouge, was created. The binary colour palette and crisp hard edges create an uncertainty between foreground and background, leaving the viewer to appreciate the formal aspects of this painting's abstract beauty.