“Redeemer and Child (Garden Study)”

The first thing that most people notice when they view this painting from close up is the texture of the paint and the vibrancy of its colours. The latter reflects the fact that at the time he painted it, the artist was working on a series of paintings inspired by his colourful and lush flower garden near the shore of Georgian Bay. As abstract as the work at first appears, its title, Redeemer and Child, tells us that it is dealing with something more specific. The first sign one notices of that is the trio of crosses in the upper right-hand corner. They are set off in such a way that one cannot help but see them. How they relate to the rest of the painting becomes clearer as one recognizes the large yellow crucified figure at the centre of the painting. His arms are outstretched and his legs are bent in the manner of baroque treatments of the crucifixion. At the bottom centre of the painting, there rises up the form of a tree, evoking the traditional notion of the tree of the cross. On a branch to the right, is the form of a child. The artist spoke of the challenge parents face in entrusting their children to the world. The Redeemer figure embodies the hope that doing so will not be in vain. 

About The Donovan Collection

The Donovan Collection of contemporary Canadian art at the University of St. Michael’s College includes approximately 400 works by 200 artists, almost all of whom are Canadian. The works are in a wide range of media and styles and represent a cross-section of the art exhibited in Toronto from the early 1980s to the present time. The Collection is curated by Fr. Dan Donovan.

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