Solar Series #2: Bridge at Auver

About Solar Series #2: Bridge at Auver

This colorful abstract painting was created by the Canadian artist David Sorensen.

One of Canada’s finest contemporary artists, David Sorensen actually began his art career as a sculptor, a natural path from his education as an architect.
When he began painting, Sorensen was fascinated by the interaction of light with its environment and was drawn to the work of color field painters as early as the 1950s. In his own work, he embraced abstraction as a form and in this series the concept of a central square from which lines of varying widths—both vertical and horizontal emanate. The color palette is bold and rich—cranberry red, deep blue, sienna, brown, and white. The brushstrokes are expressive and lend a natural movement to the painting. Sorensen admired and was influenced by the work of American abstract expressionists Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline. Auver is in France; famous as a place where Vincent Van Gogh painted.

“The role of the artist in a society is to manifest that inner view of their life and life in general as they see it.” David Sorensen

“David Sorensen’s work belongs to a very important generation of painters that came forth in the early seventies and have been active since. His interest is in color, and he was a very strong color field painter in Quebec. But what is interesting in his color field painting is that he also has movement, gesture…very soft, very tender movement…but nonetheless very active gesture on his canvas.” Laurier Lacroix, Professor of Art History, Quebec

David Sorensen was born in Vancouver (1937-2011) and studied at UBC and the Vancouver School of Art. His teachers were renowned—Arthur Erikson, Bill Reid, and Jack Shadbolt. After moving to Montreal, he taught art at the Montreal School of Art, the Saidye Bronfman Centre, and Bishop’s University. Sorensen, a member of the RCA exhibited all over the world. His work is held in numerous private, corporate, and public collections.