John Scott (1950-2022) occupies a singular position in contemporary Canadian art. Emerging in Toronto during the 1980s, he developed a highly personal visual language that combined expressionistic mark-making, symbolic imagery, and handwritten text.
Drawing on a wide range of cultural and historical influences, Scott developed a distinctive visual language marked by emotional immediacy, expressive mark-making, and a deeply personal symbolism. His body of work displays a combination of machismo, anxiety, and rebellion. Scott has few peers in Canada, (perhaps the closest parallel could be found in the work of Philip Guston) where vague figuration approaches abstraction.
Scott explored a consistent tension between cartoon-like naiveté and blunt anarchism throughout his art-making. His raw, visceral aesthetic often features humanoid characters that resemble either rabbits or angels.
With loosely rendered flowers, sketched stems, and atmospheric washes, "Dream Scam" exemplifies Scott's ability to balance fragility with intensity. The handwritten title introduces an element of ambiguity, transforming a seemingly straightforward floral composition into a meditation on aspiration, illusion, and disappointment.
The work reflects Scott's longstanding engagement with themes of aspiration, vulnerability, and uncertainty, revealing the tension between beauty and unease that would become a defining characteristic of his practice.
In 2000, Scott was awarded the inaugural Governor General’s Award in Visual Arts and Media. Today, the artist's work is represented in major collections across North America including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), the MoMa (New York), among others.
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"Dream Scam"
Canada, 1983/2006
Mixed media on paper
Titled and dated on face
Signed by artist, verso
30"H 22"W (work)
36.25"H 28.25"W (framed)
Very good condition
Note: price is $4,000 CAD
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