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Green Ledge, 1972 by Ivan Kenneth Eyre

Artwork by Ivan Kenneth Eyre, Green Ledge, 1972

Ivan Eyre
Green Ledge, 1972

acrylic and oil on canvas
signed lower right; signed and titled on the reverse
57 x 64 ins ( 144.8 x 162.6 cms )

Auction Estimate: $60,000.00$40,000.00 - $60,000.00

Price Realized $44,850.00
Sale date: November 29th 2013

Exhibited:
Ivan Eyre: Personal Mythologies, The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, 1988, no. 57.
Literature:
Joan Murray, “Ivan Eyre: Visual Philosopher”, “Ivan Eyre Exposition”, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, 1980, pages 8-9.
Donalda Johnson, “Eyre With Honour”, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, 1994, page 8.
In 1969, Eyre began renting a large room in the old warehouse district of Winnipeg. The view of the western city sky through the large windows of his studio became a vital component in many of his compositions. “Green Ledge” (1972), with its expansive blue sky and angular green-hued forms, provokes mystery and magic, revealing what Joan Murray describes as “an adventure which aims at creating a vivid, though not necessarily understandable universe to present a complex world lucidly.” The artist's commitment to engaging the viewer is evident here; he brings us on “an active journey through his work by creating paths of movement.” Eyre creates pathways for the eyes through his marvelous pointed shapes which twist and overlap within the landscape. He juxtaposes these earth-toned masses with a flat, stylized figure upon a dark background that underscores a tension within the artwork. By skilfully integrating the two dimensional and the three dimensional, he fuses the painted and the real world.

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Ivan Kenneth Eyre
(1935 - 2022) RCA

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Ivan Kenneth Eyre was born in Tullymet, Saskatchewan in 1935. At the Saskatoon Technical Collegiate he studied under Ernest Lindner, followed by studies at the University of Saskatchewan under Eli Bornstein in 1952. At the University of Manitoba School of Art, he studied under several notable teachers graduating in 1957 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In 1958-59 he attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks where he also taught. Upon returning to Canada, he took a teaching job at the University of Manitoba where he was appointed Full Professor (of painting and drawing) and where he stayed until his retirement in 1993. In 1966-67, he travelled in England and Europe where he was able to sell many of his paintings to private collectors. His works were inspired by the Symbolist philosophy of following subjective recollection and reaction rather than the Realist-Impressionist technique of objective observation-based painting. He is very much part of the artistic scene of the Prairies where he has lived most of his life. Eyre is also known for his graphite, crayon studies, and woodcuts. Among his many honours, he was elected member of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1974, received the Queen's Silver Jubilee medal in 1977, the University of Manitoba Alumni Jubilee Award in 1982, and was the subject of several films and books. He has held solo exhibitions from 1962 to the present and participated in many group shows. His works hang in numerous private and public collections in Canada and abroad. Winnipeg is the home to the Pavilion Gallery which houses the largest permanent of Eyre's paintings representing 170 works on canvas and over 5000 drawings. Ivan Eyre lived and worked in Winnipeg, Manitoba.