Fall 2016 – To Know Ourselves: Great Canadian Art from Colonial Times to the Present

Presenter – Professor Ken Carpenter

October 11         From our Colonial Beginnings to J.W. Morrice and the Group of Seven

What was the cultural and personal situation of our early painters and sculptors? When did Canadian art start to be Canadian? Why did one of our greatest painters, J.W. Morrice, come to “loathe Canada more and more”? The Group of Seven are icons of Canadian culture. What is their true standing as artists and what is their place within Canadian culture today?

October 18           Les Automatistes and After

Under the leadership of Paul-Emile Borduas, Les Automatistes published what is arguably Canada’s single most important cultural document, Le Refus global – and then Borduas was fired from his teaching position. What was the resultant controversy all about, and what is the lasting accomplishment of such artists as Borduas and Riopelle? Is Françoise Sullivan the grande dame of Canadian art?

October 25           The Magic of Atlantic Canada Realism

Alex Colville designed Canada’s centennial coins and Christopher Pratt designed the flag of Newfoundland, but what is the true meaning and significance of their work? What special regional values do they reflect, and why has their art been so enduring?

November 1         Great Inuit and Indian Artists

Is Inuit artist Karoo Ashevak the greatest sculptor in the history of Canada? Or perhaps John Tiktak? Bill Reid, Douglas Cardinal, Norval Morrisseau – these are only a few of the most important artists from the First Nations. What is distinctive about their cultures and why are they so important?

November 8         Painters XI Burst onto the World Scene

In the 1950s and ’60s Toronto grew from “Hogtown” and “Toronto the Good” to a major art centre with claims to doing some of the best art in the world. We will consider how it all happened and what was accomplished by artists such as Jack Bush, Kazuo Nakamura and Harold Town.

November 15       Nationalism and Internationalism: London, Ontario versus Emma Lake

London, Ontario, has been a hotbed of Canadian nationalism, and its leading artists were once credited with establishing a “liberation front.” What did painters like Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe and John Boyle hope to accomplish? Why were they so opposed to the internationalism of Saskatchewan artists at Emma Lake?

November 22       The AV Isaacs Group

Avrom Isaacs had a unique ability to uncover important artists like Michael Snow, Graham Coughtry and Richard Gorman. At times his artists, especially Robert Markle and Mark Prent, attracted the ire of the censors. What was all the controversy about? Joyce Wieland and Gathie Falk have all distinguished themselves. What has motivated them and what is their accomplishment?

November 29       Art in British Columbia from Emily Carr through Jack Shadbolt and Beyond

What has been happening on the other side of the Rockies? We will discover the distinct values and accomplishments of British Colombia artists from the time of our greatest eccentric, Emily Carr, through Jack Shadbolt, arguably the true heir to the Group of Seven, up to the present.