What we are loving in the collection

Today we hear from Trish Popkin, as she discusses one of her favourite works, William Kurelek’s Home on the Range from the Thomson Collection: 

When sitting down to write this, I thought about some of my favourites. The Hearn Plant, Toronto Harbour, by Kim Odaatje, any Rita Letendre, and so many others. But when talking with Jonathan, Christine and Nicole, I ended up thinking about how visiting with my young children has impacted the way I experience the Gallery.

My almost 6 year old daughter has visited a lot over the years and her favourite paintings have always been the William Kurelek works located outside the elevator on the upper second floor – the ones she refers to as ‘kids playing in the snow’, paintings I may not have stopped and looked at in the same way without her by my side.

As we’ve looked at these together over the years, our conversations have shifted from simple questions; what colours do you see? Do you think those kids are cold? To looking at the details more closely – perspective, movement and talking about light and shadow.

More than that though, these paintings have connected my past to our present. In particular, the details in Home on the Range – from the vast  clear sky and the way the moonlight glistens on the snow – which makes me think the day would’ve been sunny and as a result the snow here has a light frozen crust that would crunch under your boots, to the tops of the snow fence and prairie peeking out, is just how I remember winter on the open prairie out in front of the house I grew up in small town Saskatchewan. I played till my toes were frozen in snowbanks just like these, and short of taking my daughter on a long journey in the dead of winter, these paintings are the closest I get to sharing that experience with her. She shivers when she imagines the cold!

I look forward to getting back to the Gallery and introducing these paintings and sharing these stories with my younger son too, and to see how our conversations as a family continue to evolve. Do you have a piece you similarly like to revisit in the Gallery?

Art on Film

While you are home – can I suggest an enthralling and shocking documentary to watch? I saw this film last summer – it was jaw dropping and has left a lasting impression.

Director Jamie Kastner’s There Are No Fakes can be seen as an investigation into an art forgery ring in Northern Ontario. It starts simply enough with Canadian musician, Kevin Hearn, purchasing a work by the late Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau which is later found to be a forgery. There Are No Fakes is a journey into the largest art fraud scam in Canadian history, leading to Thunder Bay, Morrisseau’s birthplace, where an almost unbelievable new tale emerges about the origin of the paintings, and the story turns several shades darker.

To view the full length documentary (TVO) click here

You may also be interested in taking a deeper dive after viewing the film with the following resources:

• Steve Pakin’s Agenda interview with the filmmaker who discusses the film here.
• CBC film review and interview with the filmmaker here
• Canadian Art review here 

Armchair Traveller – Let’s go to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Welcome back to another edition of Arm Chair Traveller, I (Nicole) will be your host as we take a trip to one of the most beautiful cities in the world – Amsterdam! Make sure you’re comfortable, get your tea and snack (hopefully something deliciously dutch like a stroopwafel) and let’s begin.

The Vincent van Gogh Museum has a monumental collection composed of thousands of works that can all be discovered on-line. Now that may sound overwhelming, but their website provides a handy tip guide to navigate your interests here. May I suggest a leisurely video tour through the gallery complete with a cinematic score? Are you looking for a new book to read – why not get a book suggestion from van Gogh himself by clicking here!  Finally, with the excitement of the arrival of spring, learn more about van Gogh ‘s great love for nature here  – there is no need to go outside with these inspiring paintings by our side!

Enjoy!