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JEAN ALBERT MCEWEN, R.C.A. COMPAGNON DE SILENCE #1, 1973 oil on canvas signed, titled, and dated to the flap 72 ins x 72 ins; 182.9 cms x 182.9 cms Provenance: Marlborough-Godard, Toronto/Montreal The Helen and Walter Zwig Foundation Collection, Toronto Compagnon de Silence #1 was produced the same year that Jean McEwen began to dedicate himself solely to painting, and is a potent demonstration of his expressive mastery of the medium. Using glossy, translucent layers of thick paint, McEwen creates a subtle and absorbing play of colour and emotion. The central space is dominated by warm, roiling browns that emerge from painted layers of steamy white fogs. Green bars at the edges of the canvas radiate with the vivid patina of weathered copper, bounding and structuring the piece with a burnished glow. Half-buried furrows of verdigris emerge from the deep-hued expanse. The larger-than-life field seems to flex and push outwards against the squared-off canvas, resisting a neat geometric structure. The overall effect is a visual encounter that is both dynamic and contemplative, perhaps even meditative. Estimate: $70,000–90,000