DAVID ALEXANDER The Shape of Place EDITED BY LIZ WYLIE D A V I D A L E X A N D E R PUBLISHED FOR THE KELOWNA ART GALLERY BY MCGILL-QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PRESS MONTREAL & KINGSTON • LONDON • ITHACA ©McGill-Queen’sUniversityPress2012 DavidAlexander:theshapeofplace/editedbyLizWylie. isbn978-0-7735-4035-4 PublishedfortheKelownaArtGallerybyMcGill-Queen’s UniversityPress. Legaldepositfirstquarter2012 BibliothèquenationaleduQuébec Includesbibliographicalreferences. isbn978-0-7735-4035-4 PrintedinCanadaonacid-freepaperthatis100%ancient forestfree(100%post-consumerrecycled),processed 1.Alexander,David,1947–—Criticismandinterpretation. chlorinefree 2.Landscapepainting,Canadian.3.Painting,Canadian— 20thcentury.I.Wylie,Liz II.KelownaArtGallery McGill-Queen’sUniversityPressacknowledgesthesupport oftheCanadaCouncilfortheArtsforourpublishing nd249.a44d382012 759.11 c2011-907817-1 program.Wealsoacknowledgethefinancialsupportofthe GovernmentofCanadathroughtheCanadaBookFund Thisbookwasdesignedandtypesetby forourpublishingactivities. studiooneononeinAdobeGaramond10/14 Frontispiece:DetailfromIceland’sEarth’sKitchen,2001, acryliconcanvas,58(cid:2)52in. Pagevi:DetailfromRockyScratch[Rockies],2004, gouacheandink,10.25(cid:2)9.75in. Contents ListofIllustrationsandPlates vii vii Acknowledgments DavidAlexander andLizWylie xi Introduction:TheLandscapeIstheEvidence LizWylie 3 Landscape,Nature:DavidAlexander SharonButala 17 DavidAlexander,andBeingSurroundedbyThingsWeHaveNotMade Ihor Holubizky 35 ALandofWater Gilbert Bouchard 49 An“Other”Iceland:MusingsontheAlexanderLandscape AðalsteinnIngólfsson 57 TheMarvelandtheMenace:DavidAlexanderTalksaboutLandscape RobertEnright 71 Chronology 86 DavidAlexanderBibliography 97 ExhibitionsandCollections 100 Contributors 108 ListofIllustrationsandPlates AllworksarebyDavidAlexander,inthecollectionoftheartist,andphotographscreditedtoYuriAkuneyunless otherwisenoted. plates 1 AReflectedNorthernSaskatchewanLake,1985,acryliconcanvas,47(cid:2)47.5in.Collectionoftheartist. 2 KokaneeGrip,1985,acryliconcanvas,66(cid:2)83in.CollectionoftheArtGalleryofNovaScotia,Halifax. 3 VorticoseTrees(OldGuard),1987,acryliconcanvas,67.5(cid:2)58in.CollectionoftheMendelArtGallery,Saskatoon. 4 CircleIslandDuet,1987,acryliconcanvas,67.5(cid:2)82in.Privatecollection. 5 MadetoBend,1987,acryliconcanvas,67.5(cid:2)58in.Privatecollection. 6 TheTailEndSurrounding,1987,acryliconcanvas,68(cid:2)81in. 7 EnteringtheBeginningsoftheBigDipper’sHorizon,1989,acryliconcanvas,60(cid:2)68in. 8 ContinuousPrairieTargetPractice,1989–94,acryliconcanvas,58(cid:2)67in. 9 EllesmereKnifeClouds,1996–97,acryliconcanvas,57(cid:2)90in. 10 VisualMusicforOzzie,1992,acryliconcanvas,60(cid:2)68in.Privatecollection. 11 WindingthroughtheVault,1992,acryliconcanvas,24(cid:2)118in.CollectionofSunLife,Toronto. 12 HigherGargoyles,1994,acryliconcanvas,60(cid:2)66in. 13 SilenceTriumphsfromthePropheticSawtoothSpine,1996,acryliconcanvas,78(cid:2)23in.Privatecollection. 14 SilentPatienceAmongthePlumedTowers,1996,acryliconcanvas,95(cid:2)23in.Privatecollection. 15 PlaceofDomestication,1998,acryliconcanvas,67(cid:2)58in.CollectionofCareyAlexander. 16 RedsoveraNorthernWinter,1998,acryliconcanvas,57.5(cid:2)66in. 17 NotMuchBelongsintheArctic,1998–99,acryliconcanvas,58.5(cid:2)68in.CollectionofToddAlexander. 18 NewRocklandCanal#3,Bobcaygeon,undated,[c.2000],acryliconcanvas,79(cid:2)102in. 19 WORD/LAND,artist’sbook,1998,mixedmedia,8(cid:2)30in.Frontoutsidecover. 19.1 WesternSitesforJournalists 19.2 Europeans’GreenlandRenamedLandscapesofNoNameForm 19.3 TheGulf WarinYosemitePark 19.4 T.S.MonkJazzwhichisaprobableearthquakecauseofanotherlinedrawingofacontinuousnature 19.5 TheStoryof TwoLetters:AWallisaMountainandaMountainisaWall 19.6 WhataPrairieNationalParkShouldBe 19.7 ADarkLandscapethroughaStormofWords 19.8 WordsAside:astoneland 19.9 Theabuseofwordsintheland 19.10 Doesthewordtop? 19.11 RefiguredLandandalphabet 19.12 Canada’sMusic 20 RimsaroundtheEntrance,2001,acryliconcanvas,60(cid:2)68in. 21 Iceland’sEarth’sKitchen,2001,acryliconcanvas,58(cid:2)52in. 22 MorningunderLaCloche,2001–02,acryliconcanvas,61(cid:2)102.5in.Privatecollection. 23 ThePerfectPond,2002,acryliconcanvas,83(cid:2)65.5in.PrivateCollection. 24 YouGoKnockontheDoor,2002,acryliconcanvas,51.5(cid:2)57.75in. 25 MountainSpin,2006,acryliconcanvas,52(cid:2)58in.Privatecollection. 26 Edith’sDirtyToes,2006,acryliconcanvas,24(cid:2)125in. 27 AnHourBeforetheWindBlowstheColourAway,2007,acryliconcanvas,78(cid:2)96in.Collectionof McCarthy-Tetrault,Vancouver. 28 McArthur,LakeO’Hara,2007,acryliconcanvas,78(cid:2)96in.CollectionofKellyandElmarKlapstein. 29 TropicalPunched,2007,acryliconcanvas,66(cid:2)57in. 30 JapaneseRain,Shinjuku,Gyoen,Tokyo,2007,acryliconcanvas,52(cid:2)58in. 31 QuixoticShiftsofLily-LiveredYellow,2009,acryliconcanvas,28(cid:2)96in. 32 BackingIdabelFalls,2009,acryliconcanvas,28(cid:2)96in. 33 DrawinginFloats,2010,acryliconcanvas,57(cid:2)66in. 34 SalientRings,BisqueCamouflage,2009,acryliconcanvas,80(cid:2)48in. 35 Fraser’sTower,2008,acryliconcanvas,30(cid:2)22in. viii illustrations Rockies,EarlySpring,1999,gouacheandink,9(cid:2)12in. 3 IvonHitchens(1893–1979),WinterStage,1936,oiloncanvas,23.1(cid:2)61.3in.,©Tate,London2011. 4 Untitled[Valhalla,SlocanValley],2004,inkandwatercolour,14.5(cid:2)5.75in. 6 EastCoast[Newfoundland],1996,gouacheandink,8.5(cid:2)11in. 6 Untitled[Saskatchewan],1990,graphite,7.75(cid:2)21.5in. 18 EmilyCarr(1871–1945),AbovetheGravelPit,1937,oiloncanvas,30.4(cid:2)40.3in.CollectionoftheVancouverArtGallery, Vancouver,bc,EmilyCarrTrust,vag42.3.30.Photo:TrevorMills,VancouverArtGallery 20 ClaudeMonet(1840–1926),Water-Lilies,SettingSun,about1907,oiloncanvas,28.7(cid:2)36.5in,BequeathedbySimon Sainsbury,2006(ng6608),NationalGallery,London,GreatBritain.©NationalGallery,London/ArtResource,ny. 22 TomThomson(1877–1917),BurntCountry,Evening,1914,oilonplywood,8.5(cid:2)10.5in,NationalGalleryofCanada,Ottawa, BequestofDrJ.M.MacCallum,Toronto,1944.Photo©ngc. 36 WilliamHodges(1744–1797),View,possiblyofDuskyBay,NewZealand,originalsketches,drawings,mapsetc.collectedby AdmiralIsaacSmith,mainlyofCaptainCook’ssecondvoyage(1772–1775).MitchellLibrary,StateLibraryofNewSouth Wales,Sydney,Australia,callnumberpxd11. 36 RockwellKent(1882–1971),HouseofDread,Newfoundland,1915,oiloncanvas,27.75(cid:2)37.75in.PlattsburghStateArt Museum,Plattsburgh,ny. 37 Remnants[BaffinIsland],1993,gouache,8(cid:2)9in. 38 Untitled[CathedralLakesPark,BC],2006,watercolour,17(cid:2)6in. 50 RockyScratch[Rockies],2004,gouacheandink,10.25(cid:2)9.75in. 51 AgnesLake[Rockies],1998,gouache,8(cid:2)10in. 52 BaffinWalk[BaffinIsland],1997,gouacheandink,8(cid:2)11in. 59 BlackTimeFlowsEvidence[Iceland],1999,graphiteandwatercolour,8(cid:2)11.25in. 63 KimDorland(b.1974),MorningSwim,2010,oilonwoodpanel,84(cid:2)120in.ImagecourtesyofMikeWeissGallery, NewYork,ny. 72 AgnesLake,LateOctober[Rockies],1999,gouache,8.5(cid:2)11in. 73 ShaleandScreesinArctic[EllesmereIsland],2001,gouacheandink,6.5(cid:2)9.75in. 77 DavidB.Milne(1882–1953),VillageintheValley,BlackCedars(FromthePaintingHouseII),7January1920,watercolourover graphiteonwovepaper,15.2(cid:2)21.9in,NationalGalleryofCanada,Ottawa.Photo©ngc. 78 ix