Lot 168: Henrietta Mabel May 1877 - 1971 Canadian oil on

Henrietta Mabel May 1877 - 1971 Canadian oil on canvas Late Winter, Lower St. Lawrence 22 x 27 inches 55.9 x 68.6 centimeters signed and on verso titled on a gallery label Provenance:Dominion Gallery, Montreal Wallack Galleries, Ottawa Kaspar Gallery, Toronto Private Collection, Vancouver Initially, Mabel May's painting was influenced by the Impressionist works she saw while traveling in Europe. However, inspired by the Group of Seven's landscape paintings, May's interests shifted, and following 1925 the majority of her works were of Canada's beloved natural backdrop. In 1924, May began painting with Clarence Gagnon, Edwin Holgate and A.Y. Jackson in the Baie-Saint-Paul region of Quebec. The effect of the Group is undeniable in Late Winter, Lower St. Lawrence. May's choice of palette is evocative of Lawren Harris and Frederick Varley's Arctic paintings, and her sense of rhythm is reminiscent of A.Y. Jackson's rolling hills. May's use of a bolder palette marked a departure from the softer hues that she used in her early impressionistic works, with exquisite shades of blue ranging from turquoise to cobalt. The reflection of the mountains in the calm water deftly captures the stillness, and one can sense the sublime feeling that the artist must have felt while experiencing this late winter day on the St. Lawrence.