Attributed to Harold Barling Town, it does not have a COA. Medium: oil canvas. 24 x 20 inches. Provenance: private owner.
Biography: 1924 - 1990. Harold Barling Town was a painter, illustrator, printmaker, muralist, sculptor, theatrical designer (costumes and scenes) and author who was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and died in Peterborough, Ontario (about 70 miles from downtown Toronto). His painting and graphic mediums were; oil, Lucite 44, linocut, multiple colour monotype *, lithograph, gouache, charcoal, ink, etching, dry brush, tempera, collage, watercolour, silkscreen, graphite, grease pencil, aquatint, chalk, spray paint, acrylic, woodblock print, serigraph and mixed mediums. His sculpture mediums were; wood, plastic, metal, mixed mediums, found objects and paper mache. His subjects were abstraction, figures, nudes, portraits, fantasy, dreams (nightmares), mythology, erotic figures, genre, allegory, celebrities and social commentary. His styles were abstract expressionism, lyrical abstraction, geometric abstraction, semi abstraction, surrealism, realism, constructivism, pop art, op art, dada, minimalism, representational and conceptual art. Quote: "Art has no middle ground. Either it works or it doesn't. Bad art is not the enemy, mediocre art is the enemy." Harold Town 1987. Most great artists have done some work in styles and mediums other than those for which they are most famous but, few were as prolific and excelled in as many as Harold Town. He often worked in three or more styles and mediums at once, for that purpose he maintained four separate studios. This must have confused some art critics and collectors, who prefer to categorize an artist with a specific style or medium, to get a handle on him for promotional and investment purposes. Yet, in the 1960's and 1970's Town was one of the most famous artists in Canada. He was referred to as " the Picasso of Canada". He studied at the Western Technical School and graduated from the Ontario College of Art (1944) where he had studied under John Alfsen (see AskART), George Pepper (see AskART) and Frederick Haines (see AskART); none of their styles or influence is particularly evident in his mature work. However, when they were auctioning off his personal possessions years after his death one of the lots was a John Alfsen oil portrait of a child. After graduation he worked as a commercial artist for magazines and in advertising until 1957, when he began devoting himself fulltime to his art. Legend has it that he never left Toronto, however he has travelled in the U.S.A. and spent several months in New York city in 1948. His first claim to fame was as a founding member of the Painters Eleven in 1953 (see AskART glossary for other members). In fact he thought of the name and acted as their publicist. They were a group of Canadian abstract painters who took their cue from artists such as Jackson Pollock (see AskART) and de Kooning (see AskART), members of the New York School (see AskART glossary) of abstract expressionists. The purpose of the group was to promote abstract art in English Canada, primarily through joint exhibitions. By the time they disbanded in 1960, the Eleven were a major force in establishing modern art in Canada and are still a major influence in the Canadian art market. Their art is now a prized and prominent feature in many private, corporate and public collections throughout Canada. The last living member Tom Hodgson (see AskArt) died in 2006.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Mint