Drama, dreams and shadow
CCAG presents Gerard Clarkes: A Haunted Land, opening Jan. 16
A new exhibition of dramatic landscapes, dream worlds and shadowy figures from P.E.I.based artist, Gerard Clarkes opens this weekend at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery (CCAG).
Beginning Jan. 16, patrons can experience Gerard Clarkes: A Haunted Land at the CCAG, featuring a selection of landscapes that the painter produced in Toronto in the 1960s and ’70s, as well as more recent portraits and works from the past decade. Most of the selected works have not been previously exhibited in Atlantic Canada and present a retrospective look into a critical point in this artist’s career.
“The aim of this exhibition is to introduce the paintings of Gerard Clarkes to a new audience,” says Pan Wendt, CCAG curator.
"Many of the works are quite magical and we are excited to show them to a public that hasn't had a chance to see them until now."
Born in 1934, Clarkes studied art in his native Winnipeg, as well as Montreal and Toronto. By the early 1960s, he was represented by major galleries in Toronto and Montreal and had solo exhibitions in Toronto and Vancouver. By the mid-1960s he was appointed director of art at York University and later director of the Burnaby Art Gallery.
Gerard Clarkes: A Haunted Land features works that defy easy categorization. His paintings often depict enigmatic casts of characters positioned in allusive landscapes, like actors placed in a tableau.
When reviewing his formative exhibition Gerard Clarkes: transcending, reviewers of the day spoke with uncertainty of his mystifying subject matter and unique style, which had clearly struck a chord with art-lovers and