Welcome to Colville
…a tiny introduction to a huge life
Alex Colville is an artist that I feel a bit sentimental about. Born in Toronto, he spent much of his life on the east coast. A Bachelor of Fine Art grad from Mount Allison University, he went on to live and teach in Sackville for much of his career. He was a prolific man, and the current retrospective of his work on now at the AGO features over 100 paintings, ranging in subject matter from sensitive portraiture to battlefield documentation is a must see.
Colville’s work is often familiar – depicting scenes of everyday life, though his subject matter often leaves you feeling uneasy. The first gallery you enter for the AGO retrospective features one of his most iconic pieces, To Prince Edward Island (bottom left). It is being compared to Wes Anderson’s 2012 offering Moonrise Kingdom. The character Suzy, and Colville’s picture not only share the seascape and binoculars, but a vintage feel. Women with a resolute look, staring down the viewer through their lenses.
Perhaps a bit gimmicky, the exhibition curated three of the paintings that appear in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (three images featured before intro). Famed American horror director Kubrick and Colville were both meticulous planners. Though four of Colville’s pictures appear in the 1980 classic horror feature, Kubrick was famously tight-lipped about his choice to feature these pictures.
After walking through galleries featuring hollywood nods such as Moonrise Kingdom, No Country for Old Men and The Shining it all felt kind of spoon fed. I wanted to enjoy the pictures as they were, and didn’t really find all the pop culture comparisons and references particularly stimulating or necessary. As an observer, I didn’t want to have my hand held.
That being said, the rest of the curation did not disappoint. Interviews with the artist, his family and people close to him featured throughout the exhibition. Giving insight into the professional and personal life of one of Canada’s national treasures.
This particular corner of the exhibition feels like home. Featuring The Athletes from Mount Allison University’s Athletic Centre, and the cartoon for the mural in Tweedy Hall, these pictures are apart of everyday life for the staff and students of the university. On loan from the university’s collection, the triptych is apart of MTA’s sporting history, award-winning varsity athletes must be photographed in front of it — it’s apart of the sporting tradition.
Here’s another picture that will be familiar to Sackvillians – Mr Wood in April. Painted in 1960, it depicts the contemporary resident of Cranewood (more recently the President’s manse and now a bakery) taking a jaunt in front of the house’s familiar ornate fence. Colville recalls making the piece:
I knew the man who was the Mr Wood of the painting and I happened to see this fence, these trees in April just before the buds were coming out. And it hit me as an amazing and wonderful kind of thing, you know. And I wanted to express this is in some sort of permanent form. I planned it with the figure Mr Wood, who was a kind of aged hero in my view.
It’s everyday scenes such as this that make Colville relatable. His work can be appreciated by everyone. The subject matter is never overly complicated.
One of the most notable elements of this exhibition was the comparison and display of Colville’s influence on other artists. Elm Tree at Horton Landing (above) appeared on the cover of Alice Munro’s Progress of Love. Colville has the capability to capture the ambiguities of Munro’s work:
Both Munro and Colville investigate the mystery of familiar places and people, and transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. As Colville explains, “It was a portrait of a particular tree, but [also], a tree which I felt had universal significance. I was in a way thinking of the tree as a living being, as an old person, more or less. Of course, the tree is about death and survival.” This idea of an individual surviving in the world – so central to Munro’s life and work – certainly makes this a fitting image to front her book.
As a professor in the Fine Art department at Mount Allison University, Colville left his mark on many young artists. Perhaps his most notable pupil is Mary Pratt. Her picture Nude on a Kitchen Chair (above left) is featured amongst some of her mentors more sensitive depictions. Pratt’s tender handling of light is something that is particularly special to her compositions, but Colville’s influence shines through – an acute attention to the female form is something they share. Careful attention is paid to posture and the emotion that is being emitted by the sitter. They are intimate depictions but not uncomfortable to spend time with.
The exhibition is separated into six distinct themed galleries — the phases of Colville’s life and career. This corner of the exhibition is dedicated to Love, Life and Loss. Married for over 70 years, Alex and Rhoda Colville never ceased to inspire each other. Rhoda, often a preferred subject, is featured in the two works above (middle and right). These are prime examples of his love for her shining through; everyday observations that don’t look posed or forced.
This interview with Ann Kitz (Rhoda and Alex’s youngest child) exemplifies their love for each other: she gushes over her parents. I felt this video perfectly complimented the section of the exhibition that featured Colville’s most personal subjects. Kitz’s observations on her parents relationship choked us all up, one friend proclaimed after: my eyes are moist now.
His work is easy to understand at the aesthetic level and it’s not handwork to get through his prolific catalogue of pictures. His technical capabilities will leave you in awe but given the chance to explore the underlying symbols and intentions a new world will open up.
The curation of this retrospective isn’t just about his paintings, it’s about his entire career as an artist. It all feels very personal. The galleries feature display cabinets full of drawings, cartoons and technical mock-ups — a rare opportunity to have a glimpse at the process of artistic excellence. The walls are chock-full of quotes from Colville himself, critiques and admirers. Explanatory and personal insight, these elements are all well researched and add a great deal to the experience — you leave feeling informed and full.
On now until the 4th of January 2015 at the AGO, this is a must see exhibition. The gallery has curated an excellent website to accompany the exhibition called Welcome to Colville. Check it out here.
If you’re ever passing through Sackville, Colville House is open to the public for the summer months. See their website here, which features an excellent timeline.
[quotes taken from Welcome to Colville, or gallery labels]
