Through the dark, locked-in days of winter, I’d been looking forward to some gallery time and in particular, going to see the National Gallery of Canada’s new exhibition “Canada and Impressionism: New Horizons”. https://www.gallery.ca/whats-on/exhibitions-and-galleries/canada-and-impressionism-new-horizons
Following various delays, the exhibition opened a couple of weeks ago, and now runs until July 3rd. I arrived half an hour before my ticketed time and having time to spare, first headed to the permanent galleries. I was pleasantly surprised to find them still filled with impressionist-era Canadian paintings: paintings that I’d expected might have been moved so as to bolster the featured exhibition. I was also pleased to find the exhibition itself quite extensive: 108 paintings including works by lesser-known artists.
Although billed as Impressionism (however it might be defined), the exhibition is wider than that, with a range of styles. That’s no bad thing, as it shows the art of the times: Canadians often travelling and studying in Europe, then returning with traditional training, as well as an openness to new art. All genres are well represented: landscapes of course and equally, urban and figurative works – unsurprising, given the strength of Canadian painting at that time, especially in Montreal.
Impressionism has a unique place in the annals of painting. Most would agree it’s the genesis of modern styles and pretty well all painters flirted with it, whether they tarried with the style, passed through to post-impressionism (as with Toronto’s Group of Seven and Montreal’s Beaver Hall Group) or rebounded to more traditional aesthetics. I think the exhibition shows this – painters coming from all circumstances and painting with colour and life, like no other generation.
Florence Carlyle’s “The Studio” is delightful. Mabel May’s “Knitting” impresses and Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor Coté’s “Symphonie Pathètique” is so much more impactful than the internet image which I’m familiar with. At one point, I turned a corner to see what I had taken for a wall of Maurice Cullen paintings only to find that one of them was an early Lawren Harris!
Don’t miss the room across from the main exhibition (they do mention this on entry). There, you will find more of an edge of modernism.
Before leaving the gallery, perhaps check out my book “Eighteen Pieces”– it’s now available in the boutique.
My first visit this year…I’ll definitely be back soon!
David
PS: Starting in April, we feature our Zoom painting course “Impressionism and Beyond” – details to follow shortly.
