Robert Marchessault | Solace
Robert Marchessault | Solace
October 3-17, 2020
340 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M5T 1G5
This October, Bau-Xi Gallery Toronto is pleased to present Solace, a new exhibition by well-established Canadian painter, Robert Marchessault. Derived from memory, and based on observation and a range of experiences, this body of work is an extension of the artist’s “quiet times in 2020”. Marchessault continues to explore his fascination with trees, and their ability to respond and adapt to the condition of their environments while maintaining life and resilience.
“Solace is a group of new paintings of trees, solo or groups or in a landscape. They offer me comfort or consolation in a time of distress. All the paintings have been created in my studio since the COVID crisis began. This show can be seen as an extension of my quiet times in 2020. The images are created from my imagination, but based on observation and a range of experiences. I watch trees as they grow and change over time. I am interested in how they respond to the conditions they live through. Having planted and nurtured many trees, I feel as if there is a sympathetic communication with them. Sometimes no matter how I try to help, they do not survive. They can also make time speed up as they reach for the sky; suddenly I look and think, "how did you get so tall so fast?". The most fascinating to me are trees that maintain life while struggling. There is an exquisite beauty in their twists and shapes. Trees have the ability to make us stop what we are doing for a moment or longer. We can be blessed with a shift in perspective. The Navajo people sometimes describe it as Nizhoni, which means just existing in beauty.”
- Robert Marchessault 2020