Paterson Ewen
Encyclopedia
Paterson Ewen (variant name William Paterson Ewen) was an important Canadian painter, born in 1925 in Montreal
, Quebec
. He attended McGill University
from 1946-47 where he studied geology, and fine arts with John Goodwin Lyman
. From 1948-50 he took classes at the School of Art and Design at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
, studying under Goodridge Roberts
, Arthur Lismer
, William Armstrong
, and Jacques de Tonnancour.
His earliest works of the late 1940s reveal a range of interests and, particularly, the influence of Goodridge Roberts
. By the mid 1950s, he had begun a 16-year exploration of abstraction, at first with gestural and then, by 1964, with geometric forms loosely related to hard-edge painting. While in Montreal, he was tangentially connected to the artists of the Automatiste movement (see Jean-Paul Riopelle
and Paul-Émile Borduas
), and became a member of the Non-Figurative Artists' Association of Montreal, founded in 1956.
In 1968, Ewen moved to London, Ontario
where he taught at the Visual Arts Department of the University of Western Ontario
from 1972 to 1988. Ewen began a new stage in his artistic career in 1971 when his working method and imagery changed dramatically. He started working on plywood instead of canvas, using a router to gouge out powerful images of earthbound and celestial phenomena. Ewen's career was often fragmented by over-arching psychiatric problems and alcoholism
. He suffered from severe manic depression and was plagued by poor mental health until his death in 2002. Despite these challenges, Ewen was able to produce an incredibly diverse and influential body of work.
Paterson Ewen is represented in major museums and public galleries throughout Canada.
bition catalogue]. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1987.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He attended McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
from 1946-47 where he studied geology, and fine arts with John Goodwin Lyman
John Goodwin Lyman
John Goodwin Lyman was a Canadian modernist painter active largely in Montreal. In the 1930s he did much to promote modern art in Canada, founding the Contemporary Art Society in 1939...
. From 1948-50 he took classes at the School of Art and Design at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
, studying under Goodridge Roberts
Goodridge Roberts
William Goodridge Roberts was a Canadian painter known for his landscape paintings and unassuming still lifes and interiors.Goodridge Roberts was the son of poet and novelist Theodore Goodridge Roberts and Frances Seymour Allen...
, Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer, CC was an English-born Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven.-Early life:At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905...
, William Armstrong
William Armstrong (artist)
William Armstrong was a Canadian artist and one of the early professional artists of Toronto. A number of his watercolour landscapes of the Great Lakes may be found in collections such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Thunder Bay Historical Museum...
, and Jacques de Tonnancour.
His earliest works of the late 1940s reveal a range of interests and, particularly, the influence of Goodridge Roberts
Goodridge Roberts
William Goodridge Roberts was a Canadian painter known for his landscape paintings and unassuming still lifes and interiors.Goodridge Roberts was the son of poet and novelist Theodore Goodridge Roberts and Frances Seymour Allen...
. By the mid 1950s, he had begun a 16-year exploration of abstraction, at first with gestural and then, by 1964, with geometric forms loosely related to hard-edge painting. While in Montreal, he was tangentially connected to the artists of the Automatiste movement (see Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle, was a painter and sculptor from Quebec, Canada.-Biography:Born in Montreal, he studied under Paul-Émile Borduas in the 1940s and was a member of Les Automatistes movement. He was one of the signers of the Refus global manifesto...
and Paul-Émile Borduas
Paul-Émile Borduas
Paul-Émile Borduas was a Canadian painter known for his abstract paintings. He was also an activist for the separation of church and state, especially for art, in Quebec.- Biography :...
), and became a member of the Non-Figurative Artists' Association of Montreal, founded in 1956.
In 1968, Ewen moved to London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
where he taught at the Visual Arts Department of the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
from 1972 to 1988. Ewen began a new stage in his artistic career in 1971 when his working method and imagery changed dramatically. He started working on plywood instead of canvas, using a router to gouge out powerful images of earthbound and celestial phenomena. Ewen's career was often fragmented by over-arching psychiatric problems and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. He suffered from severe manic depression and was plagued by poor mental health until his death in 2002. Despite these challenges, Ewen was able to produce an incredibly diverse and influential body of work.
Paterson Ewen is represented in major museums and public galleries throughout Canada.
Selected exhibitions
- 2000: Palazzo Grassi, Venice: Cosmos: From Goya to De Chirico, From Friedrich to Kiefer
- 1996: Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto: Ewen: Earthly Weathers, Heavenly Skies (major retrospective)
- 1982: Venice Biennale
Selected collections
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
- Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto
- MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts
bition catalogue]. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1987.
- Paterson Ewen: Biennale di Venezia [exhibition catalogue]. 1982.
- Teitelbaum, Matthew. Paterson Ewen: The Montreal Years. Saskatoon: Mendel Art Gallery, 1988.
- Teitelbaum, Matthew (ed.). Paterson Ewen. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1996.