All the prime ministers
Eddy Schwartz salutes his country in ‘Oh Canada!’ at the MacNaught History Centre in Summerside
Summerside artist Eddy Schwartz salutes his country in “Oh Canada!” with an exhibition of paintings of Canada’s 23 prime ministers at the MacNaught History Centre.
P.E.I. artist Eddy Schwartz is known for his colourful portraits and landscapes.
But this spring he’s showing his colours in a different way. The Summerside resident has painted Canada’s 23 prime ministers, placed them in oak frames and mounted them in a new exhibition in honour of the country’s 150th birthday.
“It’s my salute to Canada,” says Schwartz, proudly pointing to the walls of the MacNaught History Centre in Summerside where his oil paintings hang.
But, instead of traditional portraiture, Schwartz has painted satirical representations of the Canadian prime ministers.
“I could have done portraits but it’s faster to do caricatures and more fun. They salute the humour and good nature of all political cartoonists across Canada and the world.”
Whether it’s a youthfullooking Justin Trudeau, a smug-looking Stephen Harper, a chin-dominated Brian Mulroney or a confident-looking Sir John A. Macdonald holding a quill pen, the light-hearted paintings inspire gallery-goers to remember politicians by depicting them in a format used by newspapers from the leaders’ times. “The Justin Trudeau painting may have been the toughest because he is (right) now,” says Schwartz, noting the biggest challenge was deciding on the length of the prime minister’s hair.
That’s because he did the painting in 2015, just after Trudeau was elected, when he had short hair. But ever since taking over Canada’s top political office, his tresses, as well as his legacy, have grown.
“I think he’s doing a great job so I turned the maple leaf, in
the flag behind him, into a pair of angel wings.”
Another challenge was finding a happy photograph of Paul Martin.
“Every picture I’ve seen of him looks frantic.”
So Schwartz had no other choice than to draw the former prime minister with bulging eyes and anxiety lines. To add to the anxiety, he placed a wrinkled Canadian flag behind him. “He was a very good prime minister, but I don’t think he liked to have his portrait taken,” says the artist, with a laugh. There are other fun details to discover, inside the other works, as well. Take the painting of Jean Chrétien, for example.
“When he became prime minister, the laptop had just come out, so I incorporated a laptop into his painting,” says Schwartz, adding he had personal reasons for showing his colours this spring.
It was his turn to show his work at the MacNaught History Centre, and he wanted to do something appropriate for Canada’s 150th celebration. “The show is also my way of saying how happy and proud I am to be in Canada, especially when you read about what’s going on in the U.S.,” says Schwartz who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, moved to Canada with his family when he was five and became a Canadian citizen in 1965.
Since then he has travelled the country, coast to coast, and lived in many Canadian cities.