John Gould, Primavera, 1975, conté on board, 82.5 x 150 cm. Collection of the MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie. Gift of Dr. Nathan J and Barbara Morrow, 2014. Photo: André Beneteau
John Howard Gould
Primavera, 1975
conté on board
82.5 x 150 cm
Collection of the MacLaren Art Centre
Gift of Dr. Nathan J and Barbara Morrow, 2014
John Gould was one of Canada’s pre-eminent draughtsmen, a rare artist who devoted his entire career to drawing. Primavera is an imaginative work that combines elements drawn from memory, dreams and experiences, situated within an inventive landscape. Peopled with a remarkable cast of characters—including a woman disrobing, a glowering older man, a small child crying and men carried aloft by man-lifting kites—this expressive work reflects Gould’s interest in surrealist juxtaposition, animated with depictions of his beloved family.
John Gould studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design. He exhibited his work at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound; and the Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Brantford. His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston. He was born in Toronto in 1929 and passed away in Barrie in 2010.
Primavera is included in the 2020 exhibition John Gould: Until death it is all life at the MacLaren Art Centre.
