Robert Marchessault | Trees Like Bent Men | Advance Preview

This preview has now closed. All paintings are now available for viewing on the public Robert Marchessault page. Please click here to see all available works in this collection.

Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin enthusiastically presents Trees Like Bent Men, a serene and meditative exhibition by Canadian painter, Robert Marchessault. 

Click here for a behind-the-scenes studio visit with Robert Marchessault where the artist speaks on his newest exhibition, Trees Like Bent Men, and his current practice. 

Artist Statement:

In this newest collection, Marchessault continues to demonstrate our commonalities with and reliance on nature through his unique depictions of trees. Their curvature, foothold, size, and colouring attribute human characteristics to remind us that trees are expressive beings. The artist uses beauty as a device to engage the audience, inspiring ethical action with our current climate crisis and mindfulness towards the natural world.

Marchessault states: “I have been working with the ideas of trees since 1978 and had expressed myself through them, but I had a desire to link human dimensions and deeper feelings to my art. A collector of my work visited my studio and on seeing my paintings remarked, 'Trees like bent men!' That phrase has stuck with me ever since.

Two thousand and twenty-four is a significant year, as I am now seventy. Looking back, it is clear that my passion for the natural world, especially plants and trees has not waned. Through the decades I have varied my approach to painting these subjects, from classical renderings to pure abstraction, settling now on a hybrid synthesized amalgam.

The subjects in 'Trees Like Bent Men' include carefully rendered areas that drop off into hazy abstraction. Some grow up from the edge of the canvas. Others drip or fade, unrooted, into the background as if they’re floating.”

All artworks are now available for acquisition. To secure a piece, please contact us at 416-977-0600 or toronto@bau-xi.com. 

Robert Marchessault | Trees Like Bent Men
September 12 - October 3, 2024
Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin, Upper Floor Gallery 
1384 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 14th, 2-5 PM | ARTIST IN ATTENDANCE