Elevated to the sky
A whimsical and evocative oil painting depicting three bears in what appears to be a winter den or cave opening, with a fourth figure (possibly a person in winter clothing) visible in silhouette. The bears are gathered around a rope or chain suspended from above, creating a mysterious narrative scene. The work features McPhail's characteristic illustrative style with dramatic lighting that illuminates the bears against a darker background, rendered in rich, moody tones.
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Signed
- Yes
Est. Current Value
Collectors with works by David McPhail
Artists in conversation
Carl Rungius
American (German-born) · b. 1869
Rungius painted North American wildlife including bears with dramatic moody lighting and rich tonal oil paint, capturing animals in naturalistic yet narratively charged environments that closely parallel McPhail's atmospheric bear scene.
Kent Monkman
Canadian · b. 1965
Monkman combines figurative oil painting with wildlife, human figures, and mysterious narrative tension, using dramatic illumination against dark backgrounds to create scenes where animals and people share an enigmatic symbolic space.
Robert Bateman
Canadian · b. 1930
Bateman creates highly illustrative oil paintings of North American bears and wildlife featuring the same rich moody tones and dramatic contrast between illuminated animal subjects and darker shadowed surroundings found in McPhail's cave scene.
Start the Discussion
Request access to join the discussion