Did You Know?

Page 18 The Valley Gazette Wednesday, September 25, 2019 ? ? ? ? Did you know? A series of articles exploring the region’s rich history ? ? ? It can be easy to drive past a road sign daily without ever giving much thought to how ? the place got its name. A new series of articles called “Did you know?” will explore some ? of the notable people, places and events that have shaped the Valley. To launch this series we ask, “Did you know how Kurelek Road got its name?” Did you know how Kurelek Road got its name? KATRINA BOGUSKI Gazette staff COMBERMERE – Kurelek Road is named after the renowned Canadian painter and writer William Kurelek, who had a cottage and art studio at the end of the road in the 1970s. Although he fit the image of the starving artist in the 1950s, his work now fetches considerable sums from top-rate auction houses. He has collectors throughout Canada, and he is well known in Europe. In November 2016, his Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was expected to sell for an estimated $300,000 to $350,000. Instead, the 26 x 23½” oil on board sold Kurelek Road in Combermere leads to for $531,000 CDN including the auction William Kurelek’s former cottage and premium. The sale was at Heffel’s Fall 1st farm Session auction on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 in Toronto. Heffel Fine Auction House, which also still remained with me as an immense maintains offices in Vancouver, Calgary, psychological burden.” Ottawa and Montreal, has attracted Ridding himself from this psychological significant bids on the works of a number burden was the driving force of Kurelek’s of other notable Canadian artists in early adulthood. Once he was free from addition to Kurelek. These include Emily the burden, his later mission shifted to Carr, Lawren Harris, Tom Thomson, A. Y. sharing with others how he did it. Jackson and Jean-Paul Riopelle. Kurelek was born March 3, 1927 CBC news reported in 2017 that Heffel in Alberta, and he spent much of his sold Jean-Paul Riopelle’s work for a childhood farming in Manitoba. The record-breaking price. The headline for harsh conditions immigrant farmers faced CBC’s the online article said, “Final sale during the years of the Great Depression price of $7,438,750 makes it Canada’s William Kurelek’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man sold for $531,000 by Heffel were intensified by Kurelek’s unhappy second most expensive work of art.” in 2016. Photo submitted by Heffel The most expensive Canadian painting, home life. Kurelek believed much of his Mountain Forms, a Lawren Harris mental illness stemmed from the difficult relationship he had with his parents, work from 1926 depicting the Rocky in Winnipeg, and is sure to excite Kurelek a variety of treatments including electric especially his father. Mountains, was also sold by Heffel Fine collectors. The estimate is $100,000 to shock therapy, Kurelek ultimately found Kurelek said, “My amateur Art Auction House. The CBC reported, $120,000 and it will be offered at Heffel’s the cure for his psychological woes in psychological knowledge said there must “The overall price, with commission, fall live auction on November 20, 2019.” religion. He had been raised nominally have been some traumatic experience in was $11.21 million, more than double Rykiss told The Valley Gazette in an Ukrainian Orthodox, became an atheist my past which had trapped me in this pit; the previous record-holder.” email, “Major exhibitions (specifically, as a young man, and eventually converted if I could just grope my way back to it In addition to these record breakers, an important retrospective that began to Catholicism. then I might be in a position to set myself a representative from the auction house at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2011), In the foreword to his autobiography, free.” said that Heffel has sold more than 200 documentaries and other publicity have published by McClelland and Stewart, His works are prized for their complex works by William Kurelek at auction heightened exposure for Kurelek in the William’s widow, Jean Kurelek wrote, religious and psychological imagery since 1995. Several works by Kurelek last decade. William Kurelek’s market “I do know he wanted this book to help and for their depiction of everyday life went for substantially more than their has been very strong in recent years, others find the peace of mind as he had. in rural settings. Kurelek’s own life estimated values. These works include, with heavy competition for his works at He firmly believed that the true story of was marked by much suffering due to Our Carolers in Western Canada, which auction” his conversion to Catholicism after his traumas experienced in childhood, and sold for $383,500; King of the Mountain The artist’s profile on the Heffel hospitalization would inspire others with lengthy episodes of depression and for $380,250; and Frozen Jack Rabbits website says, “The body of Kurelek’s hope and perhaps joy. Since that time, schizophrenia. $301,250. All of the figures are in work alternates between farm scenes of in one way or another – in his paintings, A Globe and Mail article from 2012 Canadian funds, and include the buyer’s innocence and wonder, apocalyptic visions his public talks, and now in this book- he reported, “In 1969, the Canadian artist premium. of the end of the world and biblical stories has been trying to bring this message to William Kurelek told the American Rebecca Rykiss of Heffel Fine involving lessons of morality. Sometimes anyone who would listen.” filmmaker Robert M. Young: ‘First of all, Art Auction House in Toronto says, disturbing, sometimes naïve and joyous, If the book aspires to instil hope and I would like to state quite categorically “Kurelek’s works are deeply personal, his work is extremely personal and joy in the reader, its early chapters start that I don’t believe I was ever mental … incredibly detailed, and very expressive moving.” out more grimly. In chapter two, Kurelek I wasn’t mental.’ of his upbringing, religion and Ukrainian Kurelek’s writing can also be very describes a work he painted while a Toward the end of his autobiography, heritage. He is famous for depicting his personal. His biography, Someone With psychiatric out-patient at an English Kurelek wrote, “People insist on thinking observations of life on the prairies, every Me, recounts some very intimate details hospital called Maudsley. of me as a pessimist and I insist with day interactions with his community and of his life, beginning with his time when He wrote, “I represented myself as if, equal emphasis that I’m not. I’m not a other aspects of Canadian life.” he was in and out of psychiatric wards having captured my parents and stripped pessimist because I believe the story of my When asked if she knows if more of in England. He had voluntarily admitted them, I had mutilated their bodies with a comeback to normalcy and success will Kurelek’s paintings will be auctioned himself to the care of doctors in the hope butcher knife and strung them from the dispel still further the social stigma that anytime soon, Rykiss replied, of finding relief for his severe depression rafters by their tongues and other organs.” lingers on about psychological illness. I “Absolutely – Heffel will be offering a and for a psychosomatic eye pain that He adds, “I heard later that even the believe those who suffer mentally, both in number of important works by Kurelek returned to him regularly while he was most hardened doctors were shocked hospital and out, will take hope from the at auction this fall, including the standout painting. when Dr. Cormier showed them the example, Old Dufferin Street Market, This exposure of private thoughts and picture. Yet no matter how intensely I Winnipeg. The work is an incredibly intimate moments is especially surprising painted out my accumulated store of Story continued on page 19. detailed representation of a market scene given the artist’s extreme shyness. Despite fears, hates and disillusionments, they Wednesday, September 25, 2019 The Valley Gazette Page 19 dissimilar world views.” Kurelek’s first view of Ontario created Story continued from page 18. a strong memory. He wrote, “I’ll never forget the astounding impression Southern fact that someone like themselves – a real Ontario made on me when I first beheld person with a real name- did eventually it by train. I must have been on a B.M.R. recover. Not only it is possible for them high for I was rushing from window to recover, it is possible to take advantage to window trying to drink it all in and of and put to work the suffering they are not miss anything. Having grown up on going through.” the monotonous prairies, this was like Besides his works that deal with eating a banana split after years of plain religious and psychological themes, he bread and butter. It was so beautiful, so also produced several series of painting warm, so quaint, so lush, so picturesque, on distinct ethnic groups in Canada. These so civilized, so interesting, so mature- groups include Polish, Ukrainian and I could have gone on and on stringing Jewish communities. Kurelek himself was adjectives together in praise.” of Ukrainian decent. His father came from MV Councillor Ernie Peplinski was Ukraine and his maternal grandparents did among the Ontarians who were painted too. by Kurelek. He painted Peplinski According to the Niagara Falls behind the counter of his former store Art Gallery, which houses the largest in Combermere.

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