For East Coast painter Mary Pratt, a master chronicler of the wonders and woes of domesticity, a pile of grapes could contain sa国际传媒渢he secrets of the universe.sa国际传媒�
Pratt had an eye for the multitudes contained within the minutiae domestic life: the fleshy moguls on an uncooked chicken leg; crimson tin foil crackling under the heft of a blood-stained fish; the seductive sheen of Jello on a silver platter.
Featured in galleries across Canada, the Newfoundland-based artist won international acclaim for imbuing household artifacts with striking, if at times unsettling, realism.
And in the wake of her death Tuesday at the age of 83, curators say Prattsa国际传媒檚 still-life paintings will enshrine her singular, subversively feminist point of view in the art world and beyond.
sa国际传媒淪he has changed the way that we view our lives outside the gallery space,sa国际传媒� said Mireille Eagan, curator of contemporary art at The Rooms art gallery in Prattsa国际传媒檚 hometown of St. Johnsa国际传媒檚.
sa国际传媒淎s we are preparing a meal, as we are wandering through a living room and we see light throughout a vase, we will be reminded to stop and to cherish both the sadness and the beauty of that experience.sa国际传媒�
Born Mary West in Fredericton in 1935, Pratt studied at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., under Alex Colville and Lawren Harris, the son of the famed Group of Seven Painter.
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She married fellow student Christopher Pratt in 1957 and moved with him to rural Newfoundland in 1963. As her husbandsa国际传媒檚 reputation as an artist grew, Mary Pratt raised her growing family in between brushstrokes.
As she tended her household chores, Pratt would feel an sa国际传媒渆rotic chargesa国际传媒� of inspiration to document these daily rituals with a camera, said Eagan.
Projecting the image on to a canvas, she would render the tableau with obsessive attention to light and colour, suffusing it with the joys and disappointments of being a wife and mother.
In the mid-1970s, Pratt suffered the devastating loss of twins at birth, her children said in a statement. She also dealt with the turmoil of an sa国际传媒渋ntense and complex marriage,sa国际传媒� the children said, and the couple eventually split, although they reconciled later in life.
sa国际传媒淗er ultimate impact is that she showed us the beauty and the sadness of our daily lives,sa国际传媒� Eagen said, her voice cracking with emotion. sa国际传媒淭he impact of the artwork, long after she has passed, will resonate with people because of that.sa国际传媒�
With her depictions of domesticity, Eagen said Pratt was also sending a subdued political message about the prescribed roles for women in the home and in art.
Jonathan Shaughnessy, a curator at the National Gallery of Canada, said in the past, a critical bias against supposed feminine fixations meant that Pratt was not always given due recognition. But the cultural consensus has since shifted, he said, in no small part thanks to Prattsa国际传媒檚 perseverance.
sa国际传媒淪he brought these subjects into the foreground of art,sa国际传媒� said Shaughnessy. sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 why she should be recognized, even if itsa国际传媒檚 also the reason she hasnsa国际传媒檛 been as recognized as she could have been.sa国际传媒�
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Among her litany of artistic achievements, Prattsa国际传媒檚 children said she was most proud of being named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1996 and her role in establishing The Rooms.
In a 2015 interview, Pratt told Shaughnessy that she has received letters from homemakers who felt forgotten, but said her paintings gave them encouragement to persist with their domestic duties.
sa国际传媒淚t made them feel a little more like heroes than they had thought before,sa国际传媒� Pratt said.
Everyday objects contain sa国际传媒渕any little tiny truths,sa国际传媒� said Pratt. As her brush sculpted out cracks and crevices and found the hidden hues, she said didnsa国际传媒檛 paint her subject; she made it.
Her art was not autobiographical, she said, but a way to possess sa国际传媒渓ittle gems of realitysa国际传媒� forever.
sa国际传媒淚 think with my work, even things that are ordinary, are not ordinary,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚 think everything is complex and worthy of sa国际传媒� a closer look.sa国际传媒�
The Canadian Press
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