Near Dordrecht, 1909 (circa). Oil on canvas 19 x 23 1/4 in (48.3 x 59.1 cm). Private collection.
Lithograph same composition as Near Dordrecht, 1898 (date noted by Robert Henri). Art Gallery of Hamilton. Courtesy of Lucie Dorais.
Near Dordrecht, 1898 (circa)
12.3 x 15.3 cm
This work will be included in the James Wilson Morrice Catalogue Raisonné being compiled by Lucie Dorais.
Inscriptions
inscribed, '12 panneau au model/ 'M. Brainerd 14/ Rue Boissonade / Maurice/ Rue St Georges 41' (verso, upper centre); 'Mrs Burland' (right); circled, '318' (centre right); J.W. Morrice stamp (centre)Provenance
Estate of James Wilson MorriceScott and Sons, Montreal, 1925
Acquired from the above by private collection, Montreal, circa 1925
By descent to private collection, Montreal
Exhibitions
Alan Klinkhoff Gallery, James Wilson Morrice Retrospective Exhibition, Toronto from September 12 - 23, Montreal from September 26 - October 8, 2023, no. 21.
This exquisite work by James Wilson Morrice says a great deal about Canada’s finest artist. The scene is created largely with differential tones, the texture of the brushwork, limited paint, and confident use of the panel itself. Morrice had remarkable abilities to capture a feeling of a moment, and express a lot with very little. Compositionally, Near Dordrecht is disproportionately water and sky, with the human and land elements occupying relatively little space. It is fair to say that it shares qualities with some of the landscapes by Whistler.
Near Dordrecht remained with Morrice until his death, and the following year was sold by W. Scott & Sons (which handled Morrice’s estate) to the family of the present owner. Morrice would later use it to paint a canvas, currently in a private collection. It is also related to Morrice’s only known lithograph, pictured below (Art Gallery of Hamilton).
Near Dordrecht was exhibited for the first time in almost a 100 years in James Wilson Morrice Retrospective Exhibition (Alan Klinkhoff Gallery, 2023., no. 21). James Wilson Morrice was the first Canadian artist to be celebrated on art’s world stage. His paintings can be found in museums across Canada. Internationally, his works are in the collections of The Musée d’Orsay, Tate Gallery, Musée des beaux-arts (Lyon), the Hermitage (St. Petersburg), and the Barnes Foundation Collection (Philadelphia), to name a selection.
