Dance 30/90

About Dance 30/90

A master of colour and expressive abstract form, William Perehudoff created this lyrical piece in 1984. Against a neutral gray background, generous brushstrokes of colour—in bright green, yellow, red, blue, purple and brown appear to dance across the canvas.
Perehudoff is considered one of Canada’s finest abstract expressionist painters who continued to work for more than five decades. He was married to Dorothy Knowles, a much loved Saskatchewan-born landscape artist.

In 1984, fourteen artists created artwork as part of an exhibition designed to celebrate the influential Canadian abstract artist Jack Bush. ‘The Heritage of Jack Bush’ was a carefully curated exhibition of work by artists who were inspired, mentored or who worked with Bush. The exhibition toured throughout Quebec and Ontario following Bush’s death.This is one of those pieces. Number 30 of 90.

“Art…there is no end to it. Everything you put on paper, there’s all kinds of possibilities and it’s just like life, you have to keep going.” William Perehudoff

Born on a farm in the Saskatchewan prairie (1918-2013), William Perehudoff’s formal education ended at Grade 11. But he studied art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and at the Ozenfant School of Fine Arts in New York. Over many years he also attended the famous Emma Lake Workshops in Saskatchewan. It was during one of these workshops in 1962, that the renowned art critic Clement Greenberg introduced Perehudoff to abstract expressionism and changed the course of his art. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and in 1999, became a member of the Order of Canada. His work is held in both private and many notable public collections including the National Gallery of Canada.