James Edward Hervey MacDonald 1873 - 1932

Collection of Thoreau MacDonald, Thornhill

Private Collection, Toronto

Nancy E. Robertson, J.E.H. MacDonald, R.C.A., 1873 - 1932, Toronto, 1965, p. 7

This work has been viewed under UV and it is in pristine condition. Heavily varnished. We would like to thank "In Restauro Conservart Inc." for examing this painting and their original notes are available upon request to Sotheby's.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The drama of the skies was something that forever engaged MacDonald. Perhaps he was influenced by his visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where he studied the small Constable sketches.

In Fields and Sky, we recognize the open spaces of the fields behind his home in Thornhill. Here the drama of furling wind-blown clouds lies heavily in the sky. His strong command of spatial arrangement and his keen observation of nature are triumphant in this work. MacDonald's response to his backyard vista was similar to the writings of the poets, Walt Whitman and Henry Thoreau. He would paint the many moods that he came across. Thornhill was not Algoma with its ruggedness, so MacDonald concentrated on the clouds above.  As he said: "A picture is a perfected enclosure of space seen with heightened vision".