Thursday, May 8, 2014

Harold Town; Female Nude

Harold Town (1924-1990) was a Canadian artist who was a founding member of the "Painters Eleven", a group of Toronto abstract expressionist painters which included Jack Bush, William Ronald, Jock Macdonald and Oscar Cahen.  The Painters Eleven were heavily influenced by contemporary post-war American artists such as Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack.
Harold Town graduated from Ontario College of Art in 1945.  After graduation, Town became an illustrator for ad agencies and magazines such as Maclean's and Mayfair.  This very early drawing was done around the time he graduated from O.C.A.  The back reads "Harold Town, sketch of girlfriend Valentine, about '47-'49".  It is a nicely rendered drawing of a female nude done mainly in black and white with highlights of pink, blue and yellow.   Framed, 31" l., 24 1/2" w.  SOLD