Rita Letendre (1928-2021) is one of Canada’s leading abstract painters...and one of Caviar20's favourite artists.
Early in her career, Letendre was associated with Les Automatistes (which included Borduas and Riopelle amongst others) in Montreal's avant-garde circles of the 1950s. However in the 1960's her aesthetic transformed dramatically as she embraced hard-edge abstraction. Her marriage to Kosso Eloul arguably had a tremendous impact on her artistic production, and for a number of years their artistic output shared many similarities.
Around 1980, her style loosened significantly from her iconic chevron works that characterized the 1970s. Letendre began working more frequently on paper, and her aesthetic revisited some of the gestural techniques and formal approaches similar to when she launched her career in Montreal.
By the 1990s her work became frequently atmospheric albeit realized with rich saturated colors. Her frequent use of pastels was an ideal approach to flood compositions with color. This intimate but impactful pastel is evocative of her best work from this era. Revealing titles such as "Orage" (French for "storm") acknowledge the influence of nature, such as the dramatic shifts of color inherent in weather and atmosphere, on the artist's work.
This artwork in particular has an undeniable proximity to representation. It is easy to believe that Letendre is depicting an incoming storm hovering over a body of water.
Nearly every major institution in Canada has examples of her work in their permanent collections including the National Gallery, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto Gallery.
"Orage IV / Jour"
Canada, 1992
Pastel on paper
Signed, titled, and dated in pencil
7.5"H 11"W (sheet)
13"H 17"W (framed)
Framed by the Guilder with conservation glass
Very good condition
Note: the price is $4,250 CAD
Click here to see another example of a unique pastel drawing from this series.
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