ROBERT MARCHESSAULT | SAGE
Plano Sage II, oil and acrylic on panel, 20 x 20 inches
In September, Foster/White presents Robert Marchessault's solo exhibition, Sage. Marchessault’s intricately painted trees and shrubs are often derived both from memory and imagination, allowing him to imbue his subjects with their own unique personalities. Distorted, leaning, thriving or surviving, each piece can be seen as a portrait, mirroring a wide range of human conditions.
Spring Sage, oil and acrylic on panel, 24 x 24 inches
Since the early 2000s tree images have been prominent in my work. I have found that their forms embody much of what I want to express on my canvases. The development of my imagery has been a long process. In this exhibition viewers will see more steps in my investigation. As always, colour, light and space are of great interest to me. My compositions try to express aspects of our human conditions. I paint a lot of trees; they offer a big range of emotions. It is from the likes of Morandi and other modern painters who use a repeating motif that I understand it is possible to find endless riches by exploring within a constrained set or idea.
Trees are also a major theme throughout visual art. Artists express a large range of sentiments using trees as a subject. Organizations devoted to the environment frequently use tree images to grab our attention and harness our feelings. Most people understand the sentiments tree shapes can imply. Like the human form, trees echo a profound range of human emotions. This is why I use their shapes, colours and textures to celebrate my perceptions that are both not uncommon and also intensely personal. For me, making and experiencing art begins non-verbally. The way the energy flows up and through a tree is like music. Growing conditions and climate shape a tree’s form. I see parallels with our own life journeys. As such, trees provide me with an endless variation that sustains my passions as a painter.
The title of this exhibition, Sage, describes a desert bush I have come to love and admire. It’s a theme I have returned to frequently. I enjoy the way aridity, wind and stress create these gnarly shapes with their exciting compositional possibilities. I love the feel of the energies at play when making these works. - Robert Marchessault
Blossom Laden, acrylic on panel, 23.75 x 48 inches
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 has received dozens of awards including a Canada Council Travel Grant and has received extensive press coverage. Marchessault’s paintings are in numerous art collections such as 20th Century Fox, Bank of Montreal, Rothschilds Inc, and Royal Bank.