Artwork by James Edward Hervey MacDonald,  Atlantic Breakers (Barbados)

J.E.H. MacDonald
Atlantic Breakers (Barbados)

oil on board
signed (twice), dated 1932 and inscribed “Barbados” on the reverse; titled upon two gallery labels on the reverse of the framing
8.5 x 10.5 ins ( 21.6 x 26.7 cms )

Auction Estimate: $20,000.00$15,000.00 - $20,000.00

Price Realized $17,250.00
Sale date: November 25th 2015

Provenance:
Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal
Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg
Private Collection, Winnipeg
Literature:
David Silcox, “The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson”, Toronto, 2003, pages 163-64
J.E.H. MacDonald enlists a full spectrum of colour within the scene, from the earthen green and brown hues of the safely of the shore, the light blues and pinks of the inviting shallow surf rest give way to the rolling whites and greens of the waves beneath the deep blues giant sea. The painter adds a thin line of cloud above the horizon, a final focus before the infinity of the ocean and sky.

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James Edward Hervey MacDonald
(1873 - 1932) Group of Seven, OSA, RCA

J.E.H. MacDonald was born in Durham, England in 1873 of Canadian parents. He took evening art classes at the Hamilton Art School as a teenager, before relocating to Toronto. In Toronto, he studied at the Central Ontario School of Art. From 1894, he worked as a graphic designer at Grip Ltd. In 1903, he sailed for England and joined Carlton Studios, a London graphic firm. On his return to Canada in 1907 he rejoined Grip and began to paint the landscape near Toronto. Around this time, Tom Thomson joined the Grip staff. Frank H. Johnston joined a short time later. These artists found that they had much in common and began going on sketching trips as a group. In 1910, he exhibited for the first time at the Royal Canadian Academy. By 1912, all the original members of the Group of Seven had met and were sketching quite regularly together. MacDonald was devastated by the accidental drowning of Tom Thomson in 1917. He designed a brass plaque to Thomson's memory which was mounted to a cairn erected at Canoe Lake. The first official Group of Seven exhibition took place in May of 1920. MacDonald accepted a teaching position at the Ontario College of Art in 1921 and was appointed as principal in 1929. He continued to go on painting trips, but his teaching responsibilities sapped his energies and he did few large canvases during this time. He died in Toronto in 1932.