Kenneth Lochhead | Post-Painterly Abstractions
October 10 - November 28, 2024
Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin, Main Floor Gallery
1384 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Reception: Saturday, October 26th, 2 - 4 PM
Bau-Xi Gallery is honoured to present Post-Painterly Abstractions, an exhibition by distinguished Canadian painter Kenneth Lochhead (1926–2006). The exhibition showcases paintings created during the early 1960s, a pivotal period in Lochhead’s career as an abstract artist. During this time, Lochhead’s work expanded upon the Colour-Field painting movement, utilizing large areas of flat, solid color arranged in contemplative formations to foster a dialogue between the composition and the canvas.
Post-Painterly Abstractions will take place at the gallery's Toronto flagship location, 1384 Dufferin Street, from October 10 to November 28. A reception will be held on Saturday, October 26th, 2024 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
Born in Ottawa in 1926, Kenneth Lochhead had a life-long love affair with painting, which continued until his death in 2006. Throughout his career, he expressed this passion in different ways, one of which was the monumental colour-field paintings of the 1960s and early 70s.
Lochhead studied art at Queen's University, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Barnes Foundation. He was appointed Director of the School of Art at the University of Saskatchewan in 1950, a position he held until 1964. In 1955, he initiated the Emma Lake Artists' Workshop, where he worked alongside Abstract Expressionist painters and renowned art critic Clement Greenberg. The inspiration and knowledge he gained from these workshops catalyzed his evolution into Colour-Field painting in 1962. These non-referential works reflect the New York aesthetic imparted by workshop leaders, including American artists Barnett Newman and Kenneth Noland. Lochhead was also a member of the Regina Five, made up of the most well-known Prairie-based painters (Arthur McKay, Douglas Morton, Ted Godwin, and Ronald Bloore) of the 1960s.
In 1964, Clement Greenberg selected Lochhead’s work for his curated exhibition Post-Painterly Abstraction, which also featured artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, and Kenneth Noland. The show marked a new era of abstraction, characterized by linear forms, minimal detail, and bold colors.
Kenneth Lochhead passed away on July 15, 2006, but his profound influence on Canadian art endures through his paintings and many years of teaching. This impact is highlighted by the inclusion of his work in Art Toronto’s Public Exhibition Programme at this year’s fair. His remarkable pieces, “Blue Grey Field” and “Pitch Red,” will be on display throughout the event, taking place from October 24 to 27, 2024, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Lochhead's work is represented in many private collections, as well as in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery and other institutions across the country and abroad. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1971 and the Governor General's Award in Visual Arts and Media Arts in 2006.
When reflecting on his career, Lochhead noted:
"As an eclectic painter I am in love with the nature of form and human innovation. I have learned that plastic form, with its elements of colour, light, line and space, is the essence of coherent visual expression. I suppose my painting is based primarily on the art of painting with the hope that it transcends to the art in painting.
I like to paint and look at paintings that reflect man's convictions, his grace, his sensuousness, his play, his delight, his creativeness, his coherence, his nobility, his spirit and his feeling. I believe in the celebration of life. Through painting I find some love and joy. It is all worthwhile."
Quotation Credit: Joanne Lochhead
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