It is hard to reconcile Gershon Iskowitz's (1921-1988) aesthetic with his personal history. He survived the darkest side of humanity and built a life dedicated to creating beautiful art.
Born to a religious family in Poland, Iskowitz was allowed to leave Yeshiva (Jewish religious studies) in order to study art independently. The outbreak of war forced him to return to his hometown where he was conscripted to forced labor, then transferred to Buchenwald in 1944, one of the first and most notorious Nazi concentration camps. Upon liberation, Iskowitz spent nearly 9 months recuperating in the hospital. He then studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Munich before immigrating to Canada around 1950.
Upon his arrival in Toronto, Iskowitz was initially disappointed by Toronto's modest art scene and did not respond to the Group of Seven. However, he gradually became interested in the Canadian landscape, sketching in Uxbridge, Muskoka, and beyond. Between 1954 and 1957, Iskowitz spent much time around Parry Sound. This is a significant period during which he slowly built a body of work and local reputation in advance of his first solo exhibit in Toronto in 1960.
Iskowitz embraced watercolors during two distinct chapters of his career; in 1968-69 as his career gained significant momentum and about a decade later, during 1977-78, as a major monograph of his work was being published and a touring retrospective began.
Made by dropping paint onto dampened paper, his watercolours offer floating blips and colourful clusters that vibrate across the page. Despite its delicate palette, this work is full of depth. Through a curious and intentional application of pigment, Iskowitz offers a meditative natural scene, evocative of the serenity of Ontario's countryside. This work is a paradigm of Iskowitz's early watercolors.
Iskowitz received six Canada Council grants for his work, establishing him as a Canadian painter in his own right. He represented Canada at the Venice Biennial in 1972. A retrospective of his work was held in 1984 at the Art Gallery of Ontario, AGO, travelling through Canada as well as to Canada House in London, England. His work remains in the permanent collections of the AGO and the National Gallery of Canada, among others.
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Parry Sound Variations: XXII
Canada, 1965
Watercolour on paper
Signed and dated by artist in pencil, lower left
25"H 19"W (work)
32"H 25"W (framed)
Very good condition
Provenance: Gallery Moos, Toronto | Private Collection, Toronto
Note: price is $7,500 CAD
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