CONCEPTS OF SPIRITUALITY IN 'TH WORKS OF ROBERT HOULE AND OTTO ROGERS WXTH SPECIAL CONSIDERATION TO IMAGES OF THE LAND Nooshfar B, Ahan, BCom A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial filfillment of the requïrements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Art History Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario 6 December 2000 O 2000, Nooshfar B. Ahan Bibliothéque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibIiographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada your me voue rélèreoca Our file Notre reMrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfomq vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. This thesis examines the use of landscape motifs by two contemporary Canadian artists to express their spiritual aspirations. Both Robert Houle and Otto Rogers, inspired by the Canadian prairie landscape, employ its abstracted form to convey their respective spiritual ideas. The attitude of the Saulteaux (Plains Ojibway) toward the land is explored, as weIl as other significant aspects of their spiritual life to gain a better understanding of the spiritual iconography 5n Houle's art. Similarly the Baha'i Faith's point of view toward the land is discussed tcogether with some of its teachings that find expression in Rogers's work. There is also a discussion of their choice of abstraction as the forrnal conveyor of a spiritual message. A thorough analysis of several of their works is been provided to establish how both artists employ the landscape and its features to convey a sense of spiritudity. DEDICATION TO A.B.R.K. (191 0-2000), who was a great promoter of the arts and had a speciai love for the Native peoples of Canada ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my two supervisors Diana Nemiroff and Carol Payne. Both have been instrumental in the creation of this thesis by giving generously of their the. Their expert advice, stimulating ideas and encouragement have helped to bring this thesis to its fuial stage. I would like to especially thank Mrs. Nemiroff for encouraging me to make study trips in order to see and study, firsthand, as many of the works of the artists as possible. Without these trips much of the analysis of these paintings would have been impossible. The study of the art works, access to curatonal and artists' files and consequent e- mail and phone inquiries were facilitated by a number of gallery stato whom 1 feel greatly indebted: Marla Garen at the Mende1 Art Gallery, Saskatoon; Anneke Shea- Harrison and Cathe~eMattes at the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Linda Tanaka at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection; Kleinburg, Melanie Johnston at the Robea McLaughlh Gallery; Christine Braun at the Art Gallery of Hamilton; Victoria Henry and Suzanne Wolf at the Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa; Barry Simpson at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Margot Reid at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec; Blair Barbeau at the Kenderdine Gallery, University of Saskatchewan. 1 am also most grateful to the insightfül editorial advice of my fiend, director Rob Sockett. A most special thanks goes to my best friend and husband Omid who has been a source of great encouragement throughout this thesis. His support has been on many different levels fiom editorial cornments and cornputer know-how to the much needed back mbs. TABLE OF CONTErnS Title Page...................................................................... .. ............................................. i .. Acceptance Form .......................................................................................................... -11 ... Abstract .................................................................................................................... ut Dedication.................................................................................................................. iv Achowledgements ......................................................................................................... v Table of Contents........................................................................................................ ..vi .. List of Illustrations....................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION.. ........................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER I-Historical Underpinnings: Landscape and Abstraction as Modem Spiritual Languages..... 1 5 CHAPTER II-Robert Houle The artist......................................................................................................... 32 Houle's understanding of spintuality....................................................................... 37 Houle's view of the Iand... ................................................................................... 42 The spmtual. symbology of Houle's art... ................................................................. -51 Peechesfor the Lasr Supper.. ................................................................... 55 The Place Wzere God Lives.. ...................................................................... 62 Sandy Bay ............................................................................................. 69 CHAPTER nI-O Rogers The artist ......................................................................................................... 77 Rogers's understanding of spirituality. ..................................................................... 79 Rogers's view of the land .................................. .- .................................... -92 The spiritual symbology of Rogers's art .................................................................... 97 Sunset Stillness ....................................................................................... 98 Cloud Rotation.. .................................................................................. ,105 Movement of Light through Darkness ........................................................... 109 Ascending Landscape ............................................................................. -112 Approaching the Shore of the Sea of Grandeur................................................ II5 CONCLUSION.. ......................................................................................................... 122 ILLUSTRATIONS...................................................................................................... 129 APPENDIX 1 Quotations fiom the Gospels descniing the discourses during the Last Supper for Pageches for the Last Supper ............... ... ......................................................................... 161 BBLIOGRAPHY ......... ............................................................................................. -163 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Key: AGO, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto CCAB-Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario LAG-London Art Gallery, Ontario MAG-Mendel Art Gailery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan MCAC-McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario NGC-National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario VAG-Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia WAG-Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Manitoba Chapter I 1. Lawren S. Harris, From the North, Lake Superior (1 923), oil on canvas, 122 x 152.4 cm, LAG 2. Emily Carr, me Mountain, (1933), oil on canvas, 114.4 x 68.0 cm, MCAC 3. Caspar David Friedrich, The Cross in the Mountains (1 808), oil on canvas, 1 15 x 110.5 cm, Gemaldegalerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsamrnlung, Dresden 4. Caspar David Friedrich, Monk by the Sea (1 809), oil on canvas, 1 10 x 171-5 cm, Staatliche Schlosser und Garten, Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin 5. Lawren S. Harris, Composition No. 1 (1 94 l), canvas, 157.5 x 160.7, VAG 6. Barnett Newman, Stations cf the Cross, (1958-1966), Magna, acrylic, oil, duco on raw canvas, each 198.12 x 152.4 cm. a. First Station, (1 958), magma on raw, unsized canvas b. nirteenth Station, (1 965-66), acrylic on raw canvas Chapter II AU works by Robert Houle unless stated otherwise. 7. Prernises for SelfRule: Treaty No- 1, 1871 (1994), oil on canvas, photo emulsion on canvas, laser cut vinyl, 152.0 x 152.0 cm, WAG 8. Piet Mondrian, Composition. Bright Colour Planes with Grey Lines (1 9 lg), oil on canvas, diagonal 84 cm, Rijksrnuseum Kr6ller-Müller, Otterlo 9. Yves Gaucher, Le Cercle de Grande Reserve (1965), canvas, 215.9 x 215.9 cm, AG0 10. Yumusee (1988), oils and quill on canvas, 235.0 x 235.0 cm, WAG 1 1. Parfleches for the Last Supper, (1983), acrylic, porcupine quills. 56 x 56 cm, WAG a, Parfleche # 1 Mafthew b. Parfleche # 2 James the Less c. Parfleche # 3 Jude vii d. Parjleche # 4 Simon e. ParjZeche # 5 Phi& f- ParjZeche # 6 AIzdrew g. Par-eche #