Lot 10: Lise Gervais 1933 - 1998 Canadian oil on canvas Les sentinelles

Lise Gervais 1933 - 1998 Canadian oil on canvas Les sentinelles
48 1/4 x 60 1/4 inches 122.5 x 153 centimeters signed and dated 1964 and on verso titled on a label
Provenance:Acquired directly from the Artist by the present Private Collection, Montreal Lise Gervais was interested in the possibilities inherit in paint, and used the palette knife to apply broad swathes of colour to her canvases. Choosing pure, brilliant pigments, she allowed very little blending to occur in her work, thus her colours are incredibly rich. In Les sentinelles, this attention to the wonder of colour is enhanced by the visible, varying depth of the paint layers in areas of consistent colouration which have been applied against white, enhancing their brilliance and translucency. Gervais sometimes titled her works with reference to their bold colours, further underlining her interest in this aspect of her art. Quebec-born, she was inextricably linked to the Automatists in her approach and ideals, so much so that Jean-Paul Riopelle collected her work. Gervais was a respected teacher who, after studying at the École des beaux-arts in the late 1950s, went on to teach there herself in the 1960s. She also taught at Concordia University and the University of Quebec at Montreal.