Canadian Fine Art Auction

November 23, 2015

LOT 60

Lot 60

FLORENCE CARLYLE, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.

FLORENCE CARLYLE, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
Lot 60 Details
FLORENCE CARLYLE, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.

THE STORY

oil on canvas
signed
29.75 ins x 19 ins; 75.6 cms x 48.3 cms

Estimate $12,000-$15,000

Realised: $28,320
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
FLORENCE CARLYLE, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
  • FLORENCE CARLYLE, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
  • FLORENCE CARLYLE, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
Provenance:

Private Collection, Ontario

Literature:

34th Annual Exhibition, of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, 28 November 1912, page 11, cat. no. 43, for The Story, listed.
Toronto Mail and Empire, 05 April 1913.
Fergus Kyle, “The Ontario Society of Artists,” in The Year Book of Canadian Art 1913, J.M. Dent & Sons, Limited, 1913, London and Toronto, page 182.
Ontario Society of Artists 41st Annual Open Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, (catalogue), 1913, page 11, cat. no. 21, for The Story, listed.
Florence Carlyle in letter to O.B. Graves, Toronto, 6 December 1922, Artist Files, LRAGHM.
Evelyn de Rostaing McMann, The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts: Exhibitions and Members, 1880-1979, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1981, page 62, cat. no. 43 for The Story listed.
Joan Murray, Florence Carlyle: Against All Odds, Museum London, London, Ontario, 2004, page 18 and page 50 for a work depicting a similar figure entitled The Guest, Venice, 1913 (collection of the Woodstock Art Gallery), Plate 13, cat. 33, reproduced in colour.
Susan Butlin, The Practice of Her Profession, Florence Carlyle: Canadian Painter in the Age of Impressionism, McGill-Queen’s University Press, Kingston & Montreal, 2009, pages 78, 79, and 189.

Exhibited:

34th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, 28 November 1912, no. 43
Ontario Society of Artists 41st Annual Open Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto, 05 April - 26 April 1913, no. 21
Canadian National Exhibition, Department of Fine Arts, Toronto, 24 August - 09 September 1912, no. 251

Note:

Florence Carlyle first exhibited The Story in November 1912 at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Annual Exhibition (no. 43) held at the Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa (alongside two other paintings entitled 41. The critic and 42. White Flower). The price listed for the work was $350. The painting was placed on show once more in April 1913 at the Ontario Society of Artists 41st Annual Exhibition at the Art Museum of Toronto (no. 21, alongside 20. Music and 22. The Threshold). Given that Carlyle’s address is still listed in this later catalogue as Woodstock, Ontario, it may be surmised that the work was displayed prior to her departure to England.

Sometime in the summer of 1913 (the CNE Department of Fine Arts catalogue from late August 23 lists the artist as living in England), Florence Carlyle left Canada to travel through Italy with her dear friend Judith Hastings. The urban vistas and canals of Venice, the city in which they spent the majority of their time, provided much inspiration for Carlyle. The pair remained in Europe following their holiday, sharing a small cottage in Sussex, England, which Hastings had rented for herself the previous summer. They also spent time visiting Hasting’s parents in Wimbleton at Yew Tree Cottage – a picturesque and idyllic setting in the English countryside.

One work painted during this happy time, entitled The Guest, Venice appears to depict both the artist and Ms. Hastings engaged in conversation beside an open window. Butlin states that the work attests to Carlyle’s “close, supportive relationship with Judith Hastings. Hastings provided camaraderie, acted as a travelling partner and remained her close companion for many years.” Their proximity in the scene suggests a closeness, and a sincere enjoyment of each other’s company.

The female figure in The Story closely resembles the attentive listener present in The Guest, Venice, leading one to speculate that the sitter in Carlyle’s 1912 painting is the sitter in the later work: Miss Judith Hastings. In both scenes, the woman appears rapt in her activity – be it conversation or in the book which she holds. Her dress and her complexion are rosy and beautiful – rich, pink tones flowing through both flesh and fabric. Her profile and her hairstyle nearly identical, the glow of her youth cast in warm light and rendered in lush treatments.

The Toronto Mail and Empire review of the 1913 exhibition of this work asserted, “The Story made one feel the amusement of the reading woman”, and that “Miss Carlyle always conceives splendid effects in color and light.” In a separate review from later on in the exhibition’s run, Fergus Kyle wrote, “…an undoubted advance was made in other subjects. Notable among these are Florence Carlyle’s The Story, a problem in the handling of daylight and candlelight in their play upon a costume of ruddy velvet.” Of both this work and The Threshold, he said, “there was evidence of splendid technique and the atmosphere of human interest which made them pictures, not mere studies.”

The work was first purchased in 1922, as indicated in a letter from the artist to her dealer, O.B. Graves, advising him to proceed with the sale: “This is my decision… I will sell The White Flower for $300… and The Story for $175.”

As Joan Murray explains, “Carlyle’s happiest works are of women in their surroundings, usually without men. The natural reaction of her way of recording them and her technique is a feeling of pleasure…” The Story is no exception to this intense sentimentality.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 60
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.