Canadian Art, Vol. 2 (G-K)

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, Japan Foundation Fellow 1991-92, and the author of
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered:
Leo Kennedy’s Story.

The National Gallery of Canada has embarked on a complete and fully
illustrated catalogue of its permanent collection of Canadian art. This
second volume includes brief biographies of 197 artists (Gaboriau to
Kurelek) and illustrated entries for some 1710 paintings, drawings,
sculptures, and other art works, arranged alphabetically by artists’
surnames.

Each entry is accompanied by a small reproduction of the work. An index
organized by accession numbers, followed by artist’s name and page
number, poses difficulties for the lay reader, but the alphabetical
arrangement of painters facilitates finding the painter of choice. My
sample checks included William Kurelek and A.Y. Jackson. The National
Gallery owns only four works by Kurelek, and the biographical entry
seems casual. It credits Kurelek with “several” illustrated books,
whereas this artist published 12 in his lifetime. For A.Y. Jackson the
entry is more substantial, the holdings massive.

A catalogue with a reproduction for every entry is a substantial
achievement that will be welcomed by scholars and art lovers alike. A.Y.
Jackson’s The Red Maple (1914) makes a handsome cover.