Michael Snow was a consistently inventive and ever-evolving artist whose work spanned film, music, painting, and sculpture. After graduating from the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) in the early 1950s, he found himself searching for artistic direction. A pivotal year spent in Europe in 1953 exposed him to Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism, and solidified his resolve to pursue a life in art. The work of Paul Klee, in particular, had a profound impact on the young artist – an influence that would remain strong throughout his career.

Georgine was painted during this formative period, when Snow was just 26 years old, and Klee’s influence is especially apparent. The minimal, geometric modelling of the form recalls Cubism, while the brightly coloured, scumbled surface reflects Snow’s interest in the flatness of the picture plane – a key tenet of modernism also explored by Klee. At the time he created this work, Snow was immersed in a period of ardent experimentation and study, and this inventive spirit never waned through his nearly seven-decade-long career.