Tom Thomson Came Paddling Past, I’m Pretty Sure It Was Him

Today I visited the National Gallery here in Ottawa. I’d never been, and happily it was just a hop, skip and a chilly walk from my hotel.

The gallery was built in 1988, and is both figuratively and literally a cathedral to art. Its exterior has a very church-like shape, and the interior has some high halls and vaulted ceilings. In terms of finishings, some of the sections feel a little busy, but who am I to judge? Certainly not an architect.

The two rotating exhibits were Edwin Holgate and Clarence Gagnon. I didn’t think much of Gagnon, but I really dug some of the Holgate’s portraits and wood cuts.

It was thrilling to see some of our national artistic treasures first hand. In particular, I spent a lot of time with the iconic works of the Group of Seven. I also learned about Dr. James MacCallum’s cottage, which was reproduced in the gallery:

Mural panels, painted in 1915 by Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald for Dr. James MacCallum’s cottage at Go Home Bay on Georgian Bay and donated to the Gallery by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Jackman in 1969, is installed along with these works. Dr. MacCallum, an important early patron of these artists, bequeathed in 1943 his important collection of 134 paintings by these and other Canadian artists to the National Gallery of Canada.

I also fell in love with the gorgeous “To Prince Edward Island” by Alex Colville.

Ultimately, though, I was most keen to see the contemporary art halls. I find it’s work created since the middle of the 20th century that resonates with me most often. I didn’t know what to make of the enormous, freakishly realistic baby’s head by Ron Mueck that began the contemporary art wing. A bit like Body Worlds, I found I didn’t want to look at it for very long.

On the other hand, I spent a long time looking at Brian Jungen’s amazing “People’s Flag”. It’s an enormous patchwork quilt assembled out of used clothing, all dyed an extraordinarily tone of red.

There were two paintings not on display which I’d hoped to see. “Williamson’s Garage” by Lionel Fitzgerald because I know and like the Spirit of the West song that inspired it. And, of course, “Voice of Fire”, because of its notoreity.