Douglas Gibb (Doug) Morton
(Canadian, 1926–2004)
Aqua Four
1968
Acrylic on canvas
Canvas: 72 × 78 in. (182.9 × 198.1 cm)
Framed: 80 × 79 in. (203.2 × 200.7 cm)
Exhibited: Seventh Biennial of Canadian Paintings, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1968 (Catalogue #108, pg. 50).
Painted in 1968, Aqua Four is a large-scale canvas by Douglas Gibb Morton composed of flat, interlocking organic forms. The composition is built around a prominent blue central form balanced by an array of soft pink, crimson, mauve, and tan tones, offset against negative fields of very faint, soft seafoam green. The work rejects both gestural abstraction and linear hard-edge geometry, relying instead on a puzzle-like arrangement of shapes that create an illusion of shifting depth within a flat pictorial plane.
The reverse of the canvas is signed, titled, dated, and inscribed "Regina" by the artist. Aqua Four was executed during Morton's prime 1960s period. Rather than working from preliminary sketches, Morton adjusted his shapes directly on the canvas, balancing formal relationships through the immediate juxtaposition of scale and color tone.
As a core member of the Regina Five, Morton played a foundational role in bringing prairie abstraction to national prominence. Due to its architectural scale and documented exhibition pedigree, Aqua Four stands as a definitive example of mid-century Canadian post-painterly abstraction.
Exhibited: Seventh Biennial of Canadian Paintings, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1968 (Catalogue #108, pg. 50).
Documentation: Accompanied by the original National Gallery of Canada exhibition registration tag from the 1968 biennial.
Provenance: From the Estate of the Artist.
Member of the historic Regina Five, achieving national prominence in the National Gallery of Canada's landmark 1961 exhibition Five Painters from Regina
Regular participant and organizer of the historic Emma Lake Artists' Workshops from 1957 to 1965
Elected Full Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A.)
Served as a prominent arts administrator, curator, and educator at the University of Saskatchewan, York University, and the University of Victoria
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Winnipeg Art Gallery / WAG (Winnipeg, MB)
MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina, SK)
Remai Modern (Saskatoon, SK)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Dunlop Art Gallery (Regina, SK)
Goldfarb Gallery / York University Art Collection (Toronto, ON)
University of Regina President's Art Collection (Regina, SK)
SK Arts / Saskatchewan Arts Board (Regina, SK)
Douglas Gibb (Doug) Morton
(Canadian, 1926–2004)
Aqua Four
1968
Acrylic on canvas
Canvas: 72 × 78 in. (182.9 × 198.1 cm)
Framed: 80 × 79 in. (203.2 × 200.7 cm)
Exhibited: Seventh Biennial of Canadian Paintings, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1968 (Catalogue #108, pg. 50).
Painted in 1968, Aqua Four is a large-scale canvas by Douglas Gibb Morton composed of flat, interlocking organic forms. The composition is built around a prominent blue central form balanced by an array of soft pink, crimson, mauve, and tan tones, offset against negative fields of very faint, soft seafoam green. The work rejects both gestural abstraction and linear hard-edge geometry, relying instead on a puzzle-like arrangement of shapes that create an illusion of shifting depth within a flat pictorial plane.
The reverse of the canvas is signed, titled, dated, and inscribed "Regina" by the artist. Aqua Four was executed during Morton's prime 1960s period. Rather than working from preliminary sketches, Morton adjusted his shapes directly on the canvas, balancing formal relationships through the immediate juxtaposition of scale and color tone.
As a core member of the Regina Five, Morton played a foundational role in bringing prairie abstraction to national prominence. Due to its architectural scale and documented exhibition pedigree, Aqua Four stands as a definitive example of mid-century Canadian post-painterly abstraction.
Exhibited: Seventh Biennial of Canadian Paintings, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1968 (Catalogue #108, pg. 50).
Documentation: Accompanied by the original National Gallery of Canada exhibition registration tag from the 1968 biennial.
Provenance: From the Estate of the Artist.
Member of the historic Regina Five, achieving national prominence in the National Gallery of Canada's landmark 1961 exhibition Five Painters from Regina
Regular participant and organizer of the historic Emma Lake Artists' Workshops from 1957 to 1965
Elected Full Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A.)
Served as a prominent arts administrator, curator, and educator at the University of Saskatchewan, York University, and the University of Victoria
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Winnipeg Art Gallery / WAG (Winnipeg, MB)
MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina, SK)
Remai Modern (Saskatoon, SK)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Dunlop Art Gallery (Regina, SK)
Goldfarb Gallery / York University Art Collection (Toronto, ON)
University of Regina President's Art Collection (Regina, SK)
SK Arts / Saskatchewan Arts Board (Regina, SK)
