Fall at the Art Gallery of Ontario

I recently visited the Art Gallery of Ontario to see its latest exhibition, Early Rubens. While there, I also took in Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room. Here are my thoughts.

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ABOVE: Peter Paul Rubens, Michielson Triptych, known as Christ on the Straw, 1618, oil on wood

BELOW: Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room – Let’s Survive Forever (deatail)

Currently, there are a few things to check out at the AGO:

Early Rubens – October 12, 2019 to January 5, 2020

When you get the chance to see the works of a master – in your home town no less – you should take advantage. Like most AGO shows, this one is well curated. There is a lot of dark content though.

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room – permanent collection

The most over-hyped artist in the world, Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room is kinda neat. You have to book it in advance and line up to see it though.

Lisa Reihana: In Pursuit of Venus – September 21, 2019 to March 29, 2020

I’m very particular when it comes to video art, but I do like some of it. In Pursuit of Venus by Lisa Reihana is worth checking out if you’re planning a trip to the gallery.

Impressionism in the Age of Industry at the Art Gallery of Ontario

This past weekend, I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) to see it’s latest blockbuster exhibition, Impressionism in the Age of Industry. Here is a short review.

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ABOVE: Maximilien Luce, The Steelworks, 1895, oil on canvas

If you love art, and even if you don’t, chances are, you’ve heard of a group of artists called the Impressionists. The Art Gallery of Ontario’s latest exhibition Impressionism in the Age of Industry has many of them, including Monet and Pissarro.

While it’s always nice to see the big names represented, as is often the case, many of the best works in this show are by some of the lesser known of the group. One of my favorite pieces was The Steelworks (pictured above) by Maximilien Luce, and one of my favorite artists was Gustave Caillebotte. He figured prominently in the exhibition, and the selection of his paintings showed a progression from expressionism to realism (he and Manet are probably the most realistic artists of the movement).

As for the overall style of the show, what I love most about the Impressionists, is their ability to create work that appears completely different depending upon your proximity to it. Up close, it’s blurry. From afar, it’s very much in focus. All art does this to a degree, but the Impressionists were masters of it.

Owing to its subject matter (industrialization), this isn’t the brightest of exhibitions. That said, while the color palette is often dull, the paintings do show the beauty in the mundane, and the common worker is respected, if not revered.

All told, this is another solid effort by the Art Gallery of Ontario, and a show worth checking out.

Impressionism in the Age of Industry is at the Art Gallery of Ontario until May 5, 2019.

Winter Art Shows

I’ve been hibernating most of the winter, but it is time to go see some art. Here are three exhibitions I plan to visit in the coming weeks. I’ll write a review of each as I do.

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ABOVE: The Art Gallery of Ontario, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Ai Weiwei: Unbroken, Gardiner Museum, February 28 – June 9, 2019

I’m a big fan of Ai Wewei, and loved his last show at the Art Gallery of Ontario. This time, he is bringing his ceramic works to the Gardiner. If you’re still avoiding winter, there’s still lots of time to see this exhibition.

Impressionism in the Age of Industry: Monet, Pissaro and More, Art Gallery of Ontario, February 16 – May 5, 2019

Probably the biggest show of the season, this is likely to be it’s most popular as well. Like the show above, this one runs into the spring, so if you’re still in hibernation mode, you’ve got lots of time. I plan on seeing it this weekend.

Museum of Contemporary Art

After a lengthy hiatus, the Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors in September. I’ve been meaning to check it out since then. Hopefully, I’ll make it out there soon. The new space looks awesome.

 

Fall Art in Toronto

I’ve been a little behind in my art viewing these past few months. Here are two current Toronto exhibitions that I plan on visiting and reviewing in future blog posts.

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ABOVE: Edward Burtynsky, Clearcut #1, Palm Oil Plantation, Borneo, Malaysia, 2016. Pigment inkjet print, 148.6 x 198.1 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. © Edward Burtynsky, 2017.

ANTHROPOCENE

September 28, 2018 – January 6, 2019

Art Gallery of Ontario

Photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier travelled the world to document the irreversible marks of human activity. More than Banksy, even more than Infinity Mirrors, this may be the exhibition everyone should see this year.

BELIEVE

September 22, 2018 – January 6, 2019

Museum of Contemporary Art

The inaugural exhibition of the long delayed Museum of Contemporary Art, includes 16 artists and covers 3 floors. Through various materials and disciplines, each artist examines how we believe and perceive. If anything, it’s worth a visit just to check out the new space.

 

Outdoor Art Shows

With spring around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about outdoor art shows. Here are a few things to consider before taking part in one. They are a lot of work.

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ABOVE: My booth at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

What you’ll need to prepare for the show:

• 20-30 artworks.
• Labels with prices for each piece.
• Packing and hanging supplies.
• A tent, weights, hanging grid, table and chair.
• Business cards and a banner (with your name, medium and website).

What to expect when the show opens:

• Expect the weather to be awful.
• Expect to talk to a lot of people.
• Expect to answer the same questions over and over again.

Things to think about:

• Don’t worry too much about making sales or winning awards. They’re nice (and maybe the end goal), but when you’re starting out, you’re unlikely to get much of either.
• Use the opportunity to network with other artists and to get used to talking about your work.

Things You’ll Need to Start Applying to Art Shows

While application requirements may differ from show to show, the following six things will allow you to start submitting to most venues immediately. Good luck!

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ABOVE: My artwork at the McMichael Autumn Art Sale

Some venues may require less, but if you have everything below, you should be good to go:

• A minimum of 10 artworks
• Have each of the 10 artworks professionally photographed. If you don’t have a camera or tripod, hire someone who does
• Artist Biography (100 words; written in the third person)
• Artist Statement (no more than 1 page; written in the first person)
• Artist CV (listing past group and solo shows, grants, awards, education)
• Image list with title, materials, year made and size

Upcoming Toronto Art Shows

Every now and then, I do a web search to see what’s coming up in the Toronto arts scene. While things are currently slow, the following exhibitions caught my eye.

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ABOVE: Geogria O’Keeffe, From the Faraway, Nearby, 1937, oil on canvas, 35.9 x 40.1 inches, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Size Matter: Steve Driscoll and Finn O’Hara

McMichael Canadian Art Collection (opens March 11, 2017)

Juxtaposing the urban with the rural, Size Matters will be the first exhibition in in a public gallery for Toronto artists Driscoll and O’Hara.

Georgia O’Keeffe

Art Gallery of Ontario (April 22-July 30, 2017)

Organized by Tate Modern and making its only North American stop at the Art Gallery of Ontario, this retrospective contains more than 80 of Georgia O’Keeffe’s works and looks like a hit in the making.

Artifact by Deborah Samuel

Gardiner Museum (May 1 – 31, 2017)

Running as part of the Contact Photography Festival, Artifact consists of twelve 20 x 24 inch black and white prints by Santa Fe artist Deborah Samuel. As transformation is the central theme, what the viewer sees changes depending upon their distance from the wall.

Anishinaabeg: Art & Power

Royal Ontario Museum (opens June 17, 2017)

Containing art produced over the last 200 years, this show will highlight the artistic evolution of the Anishinaabeg peoples while exploring their life, traditions and sacred stories.

Mystical Landscapes at the Art Gallery of Ontario

This past Saturday, I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario to see Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces from Monet, van Gogh and more. Here is a quick review.

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ABOVE: Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night Over the Rhone at Arles, 1888, oil on canvas, 28.5 x 36.2 inches

BELOW: Eugène Jansson, Dawn Over Riddarfjardin, 1899, oil on canvas, 59 x 79 inches

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has put together some stellar exhibitions over the years and it’s latest installment, Mystical Landscapes is no exception. Consisting of major works by major artists, it is a feast for the eyes, and the soul.

The show consists of 36 artists from 15 countries and contains almost 90 paintings and 20 works on paper. It covers the years between 1880 and 1930, and includes some of the very best art produced during that time.

Right off the bat, the viewer comes face to canvas with Paul Gauguin’s Vision after the Sermon. Even better, it is presented alongside The Yellow Christ and Christ in the Garden of Olives. This is apparently how Gauguin intended the works to be seen, and it is stunning – really, one of the best walls I’ve ever come across in a gallery.

After starting strong, the show never lets up, and around every corner is another masterpiece to marvel at. Some works, like Munch’s The Sun and Monet’s Water Lillie’s are instantly recognizable (if not iconic), but others, and their creators are lesser known. It is here that Mystical Landscapes really shines. I especially liked the works of Eugène Jansson (whose painting can be seen above), and Charles Marie Dulac (who has a room all to himself). They were incredible talents, and they deserve to be shown alongside the greats.

As flashy as this show is, some of the best art isn’t flashy at all. Emily Carr’s subtle and simple skyscapes are a real treat, and they provide a calming reprieve from some of the louder artworks on display. I spent as much time staring at them as I did anything else.

Towards the end of the exhibition, the overhead lighting gets dark and the beams shone directly onto the paintings make them appear back-lit. I liked the overall look, but I would liked to have seen them under normal conditions as well.

Curatorially, each artist is presented with a description of their religious/spiritual beliefs. While this serves as a nice compliment to the work and fits the overall theme of the exhibition, the pieces themselves are powerful enough to provoke the spiritual side of the viewer.

In summary, I loved this show. I suspect that you will too.

Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces from Monet, van Gogh and more is at the AGO until January 29, 2017.