If someone says a painting is 鈥渞ealistic,鈥� you know what he or she means: the objects or people represented look as they do in real life 鈥� just like 鈥渢he real thing.鈥� 聽
The idea that art can be a faithful representation of objective reality is explored by many of the paintings in 鈥淐apture 2014: Nova Scotian Realism,鈥� the latest show at the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery. The exhibition also presents a few outliers that stretch the boundaries of the genre.
The two co-curators 鈥� Peter Dykhuis, curator and director of the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery, and Tom Smart, an independent curator and writer 鈥� aimed to do just that in the work they chose. We spoke with them about the process of pulling the show together and also invited Peter Schotch, a professor in Dal鈥檚 Department of Philosophy, to tour the exhibition and discuss the philosophy of art. (He teaches a on the subject.)
Dukhuis describes the exhibition as a 鈥渢ag-team鈥� effort, starting with choosing the work. With funding from the Robert Pope Foundation, Smart toured studios around the province to create a long list which Dykhuis trimmed. But both realized they would have to include more artists, so as not to present 鈥渢he same old鈥� ideas.
The 鈥渢ag-team鈥� approach also allowed them to complement each other鈥檚 strengths in other ways. Dykhuis appreciated discovering the depth of Smart鈥檚 knowledge: 鈥淭om is the leading expert in [realism],鈥� he says. Smart gives kudos to Dykhuis for creating the categories and the installation: 鈥淗e really gave it shape, geographically and in terms of the motifs. The works in the different rooms 鈥榮peak鈥� to each other.鈥�
Understanding the past to understand the present
Smart also helped make connections between current works and historical traditions. Onni Nordman鈥檚 Object 2010, for example, references a self-portrait by 20th-century painter Max Beckman. Smart explains: 鈥淣ordman is quoting the German neo-realist tradition, neue sachlichkeit,鈥� or 鈥渘ew objectivity.鈥� Various pieces in the show recall other realist traditions, including trompe l鈥檕eil (a French term meaning 鈥渇ool the eye鈥�) and social realism.
Local traditions are also key, says Smart, noting he asked the artists about Alex Colville鈥檚 legacy. 鈥淢any of them said he set the pace by sticking to his principles and creating a career out of his world view. But that at the same time, we don鈥檛 look carefully at his work 鈥� you think you know him, so you don鈥檛 think critically.鈥� And that鈥檚 one of the issues the curators wished to call into question: 鈥淓veryone thinks they know what realism is,鈥� says Smart. 鈥淏ut鈥︹��
The show also considers how digital photography has influenced realism. Photography has long been used as a tool for art-making, says Smart, 鈥渘ot just fine art photography, but as a tool to get at something else. That uncorked photorealism in painting. Fast-forward to the present: what do digital tools mean?鈥� This also provided inspiration for the title, 鈥淐apture.鈥�
Dykhuis thinks Richard Davis鈥� 2013 painting 鈥�65 Volvo will be a favourite. 鈥淚t displays a certain virtuosity, along with the sense of 鈥榃hat am I looking at?鈥� It makes one question one鈥檚 ability to perceive.鈥� At first glance, the painting does appear to be a photo, so finely rendered are the subjects. 鈥淭he detail is mind-blowing.鈥�
Smart places bets on Katie Melanson鈥檚 diminutive painting of a fishing lure, Midnight Special (right). 鈥淗er painting is the exact size of the object. It鈥檚 interesting but weird, as though you could just reach out and touch it. It鈥檚 very metaphysical.鈥�
Beauty and the sublime
Peter Schotch doesn鈥檛 define art when teaching his Philosophy of Art course. Instead, he tells his students to 鈥渃onsider four different components that go into making art: pleasure, beauty, emotion, and understanding.鈥�
While some art lovers might easily connect beauty with the sublime 鈥� the latter being something that inspires great admiration or awe 鈥� some philosophers have viewed them as being incompatible, including Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant.聽 Notions of what makes something beautiful are just as complicated. Dr. Schotch summarizes Kant: though 鈥渙ur judgment that something is beautiful is subjective on the one hand, it also commands assent 鈥� as humans, we bring a common core of intuitions. So when I judge something as beautiful, that has some kind of authority over you, too.鈥� In other words, it鈥檚 both objective and subjective. 鈥淭ypically philosophical move,鈥� he concludes with a smile.
Some paintings are similarly ambiguous in terms of their conformity to realism. The Harbour, by Tom Forrestall (left), is a sketchy watercolour triptych in greys and browns that Dr. Schotch describes as 鈥渋mpressionistic. Realism produces an image your senses wouldn鈥檛 pick up 鈥� we don鈥檛 see very sharply. This represents what we do see. It鈥檚 like [Monet鈥檚 paintings of] : there鈥檚 a looming locomotive with steam everywhere, but not much detail.鈥�
In Douglas Boutilier鈥檚 Amusement Park, Ring Toss, thin oil paint barely conceals the grid lines used to plot out the composition (a Renaissance technique, though this work doesn't have the sense of depth common to Renaissance paintings 鈥� think ). Dr. Schotch says the grid is 鈥渁nti-realistic 鈥� it pretty much screams 鈥榩ainting.鈥欌�� Consciously self-referential, the painting can鈥檛 be entirely realistic.
Richard Davis鈥� Buoys in a Cardboard Box makes Dr. Schotch pause in silent appreciation before saying, 鈥淚 like it very much. It鈥檚 not only realistic, it also says 鈥楳aritime鈥� or 鈥楢tlantic Canada.鈥� It鈥檚 breathtaking, remarkable.鈥�
See these works and many others before the show ends on March 9. is open from 11 to 5, Tuesday to Friday, noon to 5 on weekends.