Paraskeva Clark
Encyclopedia
Paraskeva Clark was a Canadian painter born in St. Petersburg, Russia
and a member of the Canadian Group of Painters
.
and then moved to Toronto
, Canada in 1931 with her husband.
in 1936 by Pegi Nicol MacLeod
(1904-1949), art editor of the Canadian Forum
from 1935-1936. From this point Clark became active in the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy and not long after painted one of her most significant works: Petroushka in 1937. Her work was to become one of the few politically influenced works to survive the era.
(the Peter puppet and symbol of suffering humanity within Russian tradition) to a North American context.
Clark felt passionately about the role and responsibility of the artist: "Those who give their lives, their knowledge and their time to social struggle have the right to expect great help from the artist. And I cannot imagine a more inspiring role than that which the artist is asked to play for the defence and advancement of civilization".
to record the activities of the Women's Divisions of the Armed Forces
during World War II
and then later participated in many group shows between 1951 and 1956. She held four large solo shows comprising the University of Toronto (1952), two in 1956 at McGill University and Hart House, University of Toronto respectively and at the New Laing Gallery (1959). Her work is owned by many private collectors and the aforementioned institutions.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and a member of the Canadian Group of Painters
Canadian Group of Painters
The Canadian Group of Painters was a collective of 28 painters from across Canada which came together as group in 1933. They succeeded the disbanded Group of Seven, whose paintings of the Canadian wilderness had been a strong influence on Canadian art....
.
Early years
Prior to the revolution she studied with Savely Seidenberg and at the Free Art Studios, which had previously been known as the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, under Vasily Shukhayev and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin (1918-1921). From 1923 she lived in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and then moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada in 1931 with her husband.
Style
Her work is "carefully constructed and coloured". and landscape paintings like The Pink Cloud of 1937 and the portraits, including the Self-portrait of 1933 "are equally rich in intricate formal relationships". Such stylistic commentary reflects the influence of Petrov-Vodkin whose works themselves are "deceptively simple social-realist pictures with a similarly complex internal relationship of forms".Politics
Clark was introduced to Dr. Norman BethuneNorman Bethune
Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian physician and medical innovator. Bethune is best known for his service in war time medical units during the Spanish Civil War and with the Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
in 1936 by Pegi Nicol MacLeod
Pegi Nicol MacLeod
Pegi Nicol MacLeod, , was a Canadian artist. Born Margaret Kathleen Nicol, she was part of the first wave of Canadian modernist painters. She was born in Listowel, Ontario and was a pupil of Franklin Brownell in Ottawa. She later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. In 1932 she won the...
(1904-1949), art editor of the Canadian Forum
Canadian Forum
The Canadian Forum was a left-wing literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine.It was founded in 1920 at the University of Toronto as a forum for political and cultural ideas...
from 1935-1936. From this point Clark became active in the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy and not long after painted one of her most significant works: Petroushka in 1937. Her work was to become one of the few politically influenced works to survive the era.
Petroushka
In Petroushka, Clark creates a seemingly innocent scene of street entertainers "to express her outrage at the recently reported brutal killing" of five striking steelworkers by Chicago police in the summer of 1937. The painting was inspired by newspaper reports and she chose to adapt the story of PetrushkaPetrushka
Petrouchka or Petrushka is a ballet with music by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, composed in 1910–11 and revised in 1947....
(the Peter puppet and symbol of suffering humanity within Russian tradition) to a North American context.
Clark felt passionately about the role and responsibility of the artist: "Those who give their lives, their knowledge and their time to social struggle have the right to expect great help from the artist. And I cannot imagine a more inspiring role than that which the artist is asked to play for the defence and advancement of civilization".
Wartime Duties and Later Exhibitions
She was appointed by the National Gallery of CanadaNational Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
to record the activities of the Women's Divisions of the Armed Forces
Armed Forces
Armed Forces is Elvis Costello's third album, his second with the Attractions, and the first to officially credit the Attractions on the cover. It was released in the UK by Radar Records and in the U.S. by Columbia in 1979...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and then later participated in many group shows between 1951 and 1956. She held four large solo shows comprising the University of Toronto (1952), two in 1956 at McGill University and Hart House, University of Toronto respectively and at the New Laing Gallery (1959). Her work is owned by many private collectors and the aforementioned institutions.