En face, 1952
Inscriptions
signed and dated, ‘COSGROVE 52’ (lower right)Provenance
Dominion Gallery, Montreal, Inventory No. C1142
Galerie Claude Lafitte, Montreal
Property of a Distinguished Montreal Collector
En Face & Arbres et personnages are outstanding examples of the talent Dr. Max Stern discovered in Cosgrove and had him under a contract of exclusivity for a number of years. Cosgrove was a master of composition tones and balance unlike many artists of his generation, his paintings are void of both sentiment and sentimentality.
A visit to an exhibition in Milan of works by Giorgio Morandi, complemented by the audio guide, served to suggest similarities between the two contemporaries.
Unlike most artists, Cosgrove’s repertoire was varied, painting his landscapes in four seasons of the year, a painter celebrated also for his still lifes, his figure studies as well as his drawings of figures.