Robert Marchessault | Trees Like Bent Men
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
Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin enthusiastically presents Trees Like Bent Men, a serene and meditative exhibition by Canadian painter, Robert Marchessault. 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.
Artist Statement:
“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.” - Robert Marchessault, 2024
Robert Marchessault was born in Montreal in 1953 and achieved a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal in 1978. His work has been exhibited in nearly 120 solo and group shows throughout North America. His newest series of works on panel evolves out of his continued interest in the contemporary, sublime landscape.
Since relocating to Ontario, Marchessault has been the recipient of multiple Ontario Arts Council grants, and in 2000 was the Artist in Residence at the Joshua Tree National Monument, Palm Springs. Selected collections include Hudson's Bay Company, Ernst & Young LLP, The Royal Bank of Canada, Esso Resources Canada Ltd, Xerox Canada Ltd., Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., and Nissan Canada Inc.