JULY 2021 | ROBERT MARCHESSAULT | GROW / RE-GROW
Robert Marchessault, Pupuri, acrylic and oil on canvas stretched on panel, 60 x 48 inches
Robert Marchessault
Grow / Re-Grow
July 1 - 24, 2021
Each a combination of memory and experience, Robert Marchessault’s trees are not based on photographs or certain tree species; instead, the artist orchestrates the trees symbolically. Gnarled trunks and windblown branches are the eloquent results of environmental affects. The beauty of these trees is not in spite of what they have weathered, but because of it. Soft but vibrant, atmospheric abstractions serve as surroundings for each tree. Marchessault composes each painting, placing familiar natural forms on colorful surfaces full of movement.
Robert Marchessault, Arcs, oil and acrylic on panel, 52 x 40 inches
Says the artist, "For many years, my landscapes, and in particular my images of trees, have been a visual metaphor for overcoming difficulties and thriving in adversity. I am in wonder at how trees are able to take root and grow in spite of forces aligned against them. Wind, drought, rocks, pollution, pests and disease make survival a struggle. Yet, in the face of the misery; trees adapt, change, bend, re-grow and thrive."
Robert Marchessault received a Visual Arts Diploma from Dawson College, Montreal, QC, a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, QC and an MA from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. His work has been shown internationally including at Gotland Museum, Visby, Sweden, and many galleries across North America. He’s been the recipient of dozens of awards including a Canada Council Travel Grant. Marchessault’s paintings are in dozens of art collections including 20th Century Fox, Bank of Montreal, Rothschilds Inc, and Royal Bank, among many others.
To learn more about Robert Marchessault and to see available works, please visit his page.