Document generated on 09/26/2021 11:20 a.m. Vie des arts Summaries of the Articles Number 44, Fall 1966 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/58373ac See table of contents Publisher(s) La Société La Vie des Arts ISSN 0042-5435 (print) 1923-3183 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article (1966). Summaries of the Articles. Vie des arts, (44), 97–103. Tous droits réservés © La Société La Vie des Arts, 1966 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ SUMMARIES OF THE ARTICLES Translation by BILL TRENT tbe Canadian carrefour BY GILLES HÉNAULT Apart from artist-architect collaboration, it is of interest that once In the world of art, Canada is a carrefour, a sort of meeting place a building is completed, the owners automatically search out the of the great aesthetic currents of Europe and America, a part of the art vendors. An interesting example is the C.I.L. collection. But Paris-New York-San Francisco axis. Long the disciples of a pictur­ company officials also call on the artists when it comes time to esque provincialism, Canadian painters have for the past 20 years decorate their offices. The works of our avant-garde artists required been pushing into the international art scene and for them it is a new architecture to contain them. stimulating and challenging at the same time. The early period of Canadian art, dating from the 1920s, had been If there is a common denominator uniting Canadian artists, it is one of landscape work for the most part. But in the 1940s, Pellan perhaps their sincere desire to work toward a transformation of their began taking a modern look at the world of art and artists began environment and the creation of a new human space. Insofar as the grouping themselves with him, just as others were grouping them­ matter of the integration of art and architecture is concerned, it will selves about Borduas. The Peilan influence was felt by Albert be necessary for society to consider the artist as a citizen with the Dumouchel and Leon Bellefleur and that of Borduas (and Riopelle) right to consider a transformation. In effect, it is a question of by such people as Jean Paul Mousseau, Marcel Barbeau and whether society wants to endorse a new creativity or go on rejecting Fernand Leduc. it as a sort of capital sin. In the evolving Canadian art scene, two indépendant, and wholly The artist has long been accused of isolationism. This is no longer isolated, names require mention. They are Jean Paul Lemieux in valid, however, because he is now anxious for art to invade the Quebec and Alex Colville in Sackville. In 1954, there was a rennais- public place. He wants truly to be a part of the life of his city. sance in English-Canadian tradition. As the shadow of the Group of Seven began fading, several artists rallied behind Jock Macdonald, editorial BY ANDRÉE PARADIS among them Harold Town, William Ronald and Jack Bush in Toronto. Jack Shadbolt in Vancouver was also contributing hugely The problems of communication in Canada are not a myth. to the renaissance. They are a reality and one with which we are constantly at odds. In There were important names on the art scene — people like the area of artistic information, we have just begun to lay the Jacques de Tonnancour and Albert Dumouchel, Jean McEwen, groundwork. Hence, we believe that, on the eve of Expo 67, a look Charles Gagnon and Edmund Alleyn. The phenomenon of the at the horizons of Canadian painting seems appropriate. period after 1956 belonged to the young artists who, about 1959, First of all, the artist, no matter where he may be in the country, proved it was possible to produce lyric painting in cold abstraction. interests us. On the following pages may be found examples of the The enthusiasm for new disciplines soon caught Guido Molinari, pictorial activity of our country. The record is incomplete, of course, Claude Tousignant, Jean Goguen, Yves Gaucher, Jacques Hurtubise. since, according to William Townsend, there are some 500 Canadian There was a similar phenomenon in Saskatchewan about I960. artists. We do not at the moment have the means of contacting them The exciting new years were now producing people like Kiyooka, all and some, regrettably, will be overlooked. Lochhead, Jaque, Tascona, Morton. It was an era of pure clear color Our correspondents in the various geographic areas have been with examples of the new quality by Charles Gagnon, Lise Gervais, free to make their own selections in the artistic field and none has Arthur McKay, Takao Tanabe and Ronald Bloore. had the opportunity of looking at the national selection. This Coughtry and Urquhart, whose first important works appeared explains, at least in part, the repetition and even the incomplete in 1957, also represent the young generation. Burrell Swartz, Louis inventory. We have tried, insofar as this is possible, to avoid a de Niverville, Kittie Bruneau, Carol Fraser, Jan Menses, George catalogue imitation by asking our analysts to group their painters Swinton and William Kurelek are producing valid figurative works. by affinity. Of interest, too, are such young-generation artists as Michael Snow, Having said this, our readers will be pleased to note that Canadian Joyce Wieland, Greg Curnoe, Gary Lee Nova and John Chambers. painting is very much alive and has enjoyed considerable success. Much has changed in art since the early years and the Canadian Living in close proximity to the United States, we are becoming painter is a good example of the new age. more and more aware of the artistic vitality of the American scene. Though we are faithful to the European tradition, notably in the east, our artists from Quebec, the Maritimes, Ontario and the west art in the maritimes BY LOUIS ROMBOUT nevertheless are feeling the effects of the dynamism of New York. It has long been argued that the art of the Maritime provinces In 20 years, New York has become a veritable artistic capital. The could only be considered within the context of a regional naturalism painters of the world meet there. and that the artist, by definition, was the interpreter of his milieu On the other hand, Canada emerges as one of the young countries only. Art critics and museums have over the years failed to properly which has done the most to develop its own artistic potential over evaluate the artistic riches of the area. Actually the changes which the past 20 years. The effort, however, must be intensified and we have occurred have considerable significance and eventually may would foster any effort which would lead to superior achievement. have some important repercussions. At the conference on the visual arts held in Toronto last March, To some extent the first big art exhibition from the Atlantic the fact was deplored that our artists receive such little publicity in Provinces sponsored by the National Gallery of Canada in 1962 was Canada and abroad. A number of recommendations were made to regional. But even here, in a show entitled Six East Coast Painters correct this situation. (Brittain, Colville, Harris, Humphrey, Ross and Wainwright) the For example, it was suggested that radio and television be used as first signs of change could be felt. These signs have since become a means of spreading artistic information and stimulating an interest facts in the living art of the Maritimes. in art. In this instance, it was also suggested that the artists them­ The new spirit in art is reflected in the many new art galleries that selves should participate in the programs. Again, it was felt that art have sprung up. Among the interesting galleries are the Beaverbrook could be encouraged through books, newspapers, magazines, Art Gallery in Fredericton, N.B.; Memorial Art Gallery, St. John's, records and films. Nfld.; Confederation Art Gallery, Charlottetown, P.E.I.; the Art It is not necessary to emphasize the importance of art in the life of Gallery of the University of Moncton, Moncton, N.B. These have a nation. Canada has already recognized it by providing the public joined the existing group of centres, among them the Dalhousie with museums and by helping artists through art councils and art University Gallery at Halifax, N.S., the New Brunswick Museum at publications. It now remains for us to fight ignorance, egotism, Saint John, N.B., and the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison Uni­ false pretentions and mediocrity. versity, Sackville, N.B. Many of the new artists from abroad have Excellence is available — but it has its price tag. teaching jobs. The University of New Brunswick has its University Art Centre and Bruno Bobak and his wife, Molly Lamb Bobak, were ten years of painting in Canada BY JEAN-RENÉ OSTIGUY called upon. The paintings of Borduas, Pellan, Riopelle, McEwen, Shadbolt, A number of young artists, born and educated in the area, however, Binning, Town and Ronald have contributed heavily to the creation continue to work there. There are, for instance Forrestall in Frederic­ of a new architecture and a new Canadian urbanism and the new ton; Kashetsky in Saint John; Roussel in Moncton; Tiessen in ambiance in the country may be attributed in large measure to Sackville; Saunders in Truro; Fraser in Halifax; and Pratt in New­ painting.