David Brown Milne 1882 - 1953

Douglas Duncan, Picture Loan Society, Toronto

R. MacDonald, Woodbridge, Ontario, 1960

Purchased by the present owner, Toronto, c. 1968

David Milne Jr. and David P. Silcox, David B. Milne Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings Volume I, 107.52, illustrated in black and white, p. 173 

This painting has been viewed under UV light and it is in pristine condition. There appears to be a thin scratch in the lower right hand corner, although it could well be from the artist's studio. There is a speck of paint loss in the lower left corner. The canvas is a little floppy and would benefit from slight keying. 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.

When he moved out of New York City to Boston Corners in upstate New York in May, 1916, Milne had already been avidly following the progress of the earth-shaking hostilities in Europe, even to the point of keeping a scrapbook into which he pasted newspaper maps of the frontline positions. He believed that he might soon be driven by loyalty to volunteer for service, but he held off until late in 1917.

In the meantime, Milne was fascinated by the practice of camouflage, and it showed up in his paintings. As an artist whose profession relied upon deceiving the eye, he was already practiced in some aspects of this. His own system of painting, which he was continuing to develop, used the basic tones of black and white and intermediate gray, leavened by small amounts of two or three colours, such as red, blue, brown, or green.

Drying Waterfall is a prime example of Milne's work in the early part of his Boston Corners period. By inventing and deploying the most unlikely assortment of shapes and by using a minimum of colours, Milne has created a lively, coherent, and compelling image that is at once complex and yet immediately readable.