The Optimism of Colour: William Perehudoff, a retrospective
October 1, 2010 to January 9, 2011
Guest Curated by Karen Wilkin
The Optimism of Colour is a major retrospective of the works of renowned Canadian abstract painter William Perehudoff. Drawn from public and private Canadian collections, the exhibition was organized for the Mendel Art Gallery by guest curator Karen Wilkin, of New York City. The exhibition will travel to the Kamloops Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Windsor and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa in 2011 and 2012. It features more than 60 works, tracing the evolution of Perehudoff’s approach from early figurative works and murals to radiant abstractions, their interplays of colour suggesting musical chords. The exhibition emphasizes these latter works, which established the artist’s reputation nationally and internationally.
The accompanying book-length catalogue contains essays by Wilkin, Roald Nasgaard, and Robert Christie. Now 92, Perehudoff has long been an eminence in the Saskatoon arts community, respected and admired by his peers. He has influenced younger artists in Western Canada and beyond through his work, as a prominent Colour Field painter; and as a mentor and friend.
Since his first solo exhibition at the Saskatoon Art Centre (the forerunner of the Mendel Art Gallery) in 1950, Perehudoff has embodied the highest standards of aesthetic rigour and excellence. His artistic vision embraces a specific response to place and a belief in the evocative power of abstract forms.
This vision was shaped by diverse influences: self-education, local and regional mentors, travels and study abroad, and contact with colleagues and peers in North America and overseas. As a young artist, Perehudoff received commissions from Fred Mendel, the Saskatoon entrepreneur (and later founder of the Mendel Art Gallery) who enjoyed and collected modernist art. This contact inspired and encouraged Perehudoff, spurring his studies with muralists and abstract artists in the United States.
In addition, Perehudoff and his wife, the noted landscape painter Dorothy Knowles, were involved in the Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops, beginning in the late 1950s and continuing for 40 years. This yielded connections with influential artists, curators and critics. As this rich network expanded, Perehudoff also preserved his roots. Born in 1918 to a Doukhobor farm family near Saskatoon, he continued to farm actively throughout his artistic career. In a typically wry comment about balancing activities, he said he had to do something while waiting for the paint to dry. Perehudoff also had a successful career as a commercial artist. He was an artist and designer at Modern Press in Saskatoon from 1954–1978.
Perehudoff’s many honours include a Saskatchewan Award of Merit (1994) and appointment to the Order of Canada (1999). Perehudoff Crescent in Saskatoon was also named for him.
Please visit www.mendel.ca/perehudoff for supplemental material.
