N° 217, winter 2009-2010
[ N O T E F R O M T H E E D I T O R ]
Tales of lore and everyday
Dorota Kozinska
Editor
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the famous saying goes. I would agree that it is often so, but not in the case of some art, where beauty is there for all to behold, and all there is to be beheld. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has filled its galleries with paintings by J.W. Waterhouse, considered as one of the Pre-Raphaelites, and an artist whose entire preoccupation was with… beauty. His paintings based on mythological and literary themes are as beguiling as they are artistically accomplished and historically viable. Known mostly for his painting of the Lady of Shalott, the title heroine of Lord Tennyson’s famous poem, and the most popular postcard sold at the Tate gallery in London, Waterhouse astounds with his imagination, and painterly virtuosity.
A hard act to follow, but the other artists profiled in this edition have their own powerful visual lexicon: from Viola Frey’s naïve, and at times humorous ceramic sculptures, through Gabor Szilasi’s photographs of the “everyday”, and Tacita Dean’s silent installation, to Pauline Gagnon’s giant faces and Donna Shvil’s emotionally charged portraits.
Two of our contributors have switched mantles, becoming themselves topics of reviews. Julie Oakes has changed places with Ashley Johnson, and it is he this time, writing about her latest work, a mythical, grand installation based on
the theme of Noah’s Arc.
The other is David Garneu, whose grand tableaux with historical and social connotations are the subject of an article by Amy Karlinsky.
Michael Morris offers a world of geometric compositions of esoteric proportions, while Roy Lerner’s colourful abstractions engage the imagination.
Virgil Hammock took up the challenge of describing a musical installation by Gordon Monahan that can only whet our appetites and trigger a craving for a personal experience of this fascinating work.
And since we are heading into a period of long nights, we could not, in this winter edition, do without a couple of book reviews.
Let it snow let it snow let it snow...
N° 217, winter 2009-2010 |
