Images of Vulnerability: The Art of George Wallace

David Mattison is a librarian with the B.C. Provincial Archives and
Records Services Library.

An art critic and editor of a volume on artist Paul Fournier, Greg Peters has assembled an admirable appreciation of sculptor George Wallace. Born in Ireland and educated in Ireland and England, Wallace exhibited in both countries before immigrating to Canada in 1957. Wallace currently teaches at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. All of his sculptures are in collections in Ontario and Quebec.

The text is organized around themes the author feels are expressed through the artist’s welded steel sculptures and etchings. Among the sculptural themes are man as a fallen angel, man as prisoner, and man as redeemed by angels. Interspersed in the chapters discussing the sculptures are etchings and drypoints reflecting similar ideas. Also examined are etchings of representational and abstract landscapes drawn from the artist’s memories of mines in Cornwall, England.

The sculptures are painful and human in their representation of suffering and rebirth. One humourous episode to verify this is recounted. A custodian at McMaster University thought the “Hanging Thief’ was a suicide victim. Several of Wallace’s sculptures take as their inspiration biblical events. To reinforce and enhance the reader’s understanding of Wallace’s conception, the author has included the appropriate Bible verses, as well as other literary pieces. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs of the works, including close-ups and site placement. The captions do not give the display location but a separate listing at the end provides this information.

Because Wallace’s art is not widely known outside of Eastern Canada, this book should help inform students of contemporary Canadian art about this important sculptor who is so obviously deserving of wider recognition.