Douglas Gibb (Doug) Morton
(Canadian, 1926–2004)
Ascending Orange
1965
Acrylic on canvas
Canvas: 84 × 57 in. (213.4 × 144.8 cm)
Framed: 84.5 × 57 in. (214.6 × 144.8 cm)
Inscriptions: Inscribed in pencil by the artist on canvas reverse: "TOP / ASCENDING ORANGE / 1965 / ACRYLIC / D G MORTON / REGINA"; Stretcher bar also features a hand-painted corrector inscription reading "ACRYLIC" in black marker.
Provenance: Private Collection; Mayberry Fine Art (Winnipeg/Toronto), official inventory label affixed to stretcher bar verso.
Description
Executed in 1965, Ascending Orange is a monumental vertical abstract painting by Douglas Gibb Morton. The composition is constructed from interlocking, non-representational graphic shapes using a high-contrast palette of purple, yellow, light blue, deep red, teal, and soft cream tones, set against a warm, muted orange-brown background.
The structural arrangement relies on flat, hard-edged and curved boundaries that reject traditional depth or painterly illusionism, focusing instead on how bold form and flat color fields interact across a substantial surface area. This canvas comes from Morton’s core Regina period. Works executed during the mid-1960s represent his most critical contribution to Western Canadian post-painterly abstraction and remain highly sought-after by public institutions and private collectors.
Major Accolades & Recognition
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.)
Subject of a major career retrospective organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in 1994
Served as a prominent arts administrator, curator, and educator at the University of Saskatchewan, York University, and the University of Victoria
Selected Permanent Collections
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)
Goldfarb Gallery / York University Art Collection (Toronto, ON)
Douglas Gibb (Doug) Morton
(Canadian, 1926–2004)
Ascending Orange
1965
Acrylic on canvas
Canvas: 84 × 57 in. (213.4 × 144.8 cm)
Framed: 84.5 × 57 in. (214.6 × 144.8 cm)
Inscriptions: Inscribed in pencil by the artist on canvas reverse: "TOP / ASCENDING ORANGE / 1965 / ACRYLIC / D G MORTON / REGINA"; Stretcher bar also features a hand-painted corrector inscription reading "ACRYLIC" in black marker.
Provenance: Private Collection; Mayberry Fine Art (Winnipeg/Toronto), official inventory label affixed to stretcher bar verso.
Description
Executed in 1965, Ascending Orange is a monumental vertical abstract painting by Douglas Gibb Morton. The composition is constructed from interlocking, non-representational graphic shapes using a high-contrast palette of purple, yellow, light blue, deep red, teal, and soft cream tones, set against a warm, muted orange-brown background.
The structural arrangement relies on flat, hard-edged and curved boundaries that reject traditional depth or painterly illusionism, focusing instead on how bold form and flat color fields interact across a substantial surface area. This canvas comes from Morton’s core Regina period. Works executed during the mid-1960s represent his most critical contribution to Western Canadian post-painterly abstraction and remain highly sought-after by public institutions and private collectors.
Major Accolades & Recognition
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.)
Subject of a major career retrospective organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in 1994
Served as a prominent arts administrator, curator, and educator at the University of Saskatchewan, York University, and the University of Victoria
Selected Permanent Collections
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)
Goldfarb Gallery / York University Art Collection (Toronto, ON)
Image 1 of 5
Image 2 of 5
Image 3 of 5
Image 4 of 5
Image 5 of 5