Upcoming Talks and Films

The weather outside may be getting cooler, but the JNAAG is heating up with a great line-up of Fall Art & Ideas talks and film screenings. 

Every Thursday night and some Saturday afternoons, our free presentations discuss anything from famous works of art, current exhibitions,  to local artists in our community speaking to their artistic practice.The Art & Ideas series, sponsored by CI Investments, also includes the film screening series, The Private Life of a Masterpiece, bus trips, and more.

Events are always FREE unless otherwise noted. So put on a sweater, grab a friend and head out to the JNAAG!

Upcoming talks: 

James Provencher in his studio. Photo by Hailer McHarg

Thursday, October 17, 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Artist Talk: James Provencher 

Local artist James Provencher will provide insight into his process based artistic techniques and speak to his past projects, leading up to in his recent exhibition, Under Saturn, which was on display at the Urban Nature Centre on October 4th.

Provencher's artistic journey over the past decade has been quite interesting. After a five-year hiatus from painting, he returned to his practice with a more organic approach. Taking inspiration from the great British impressionist JMW Turner and abstract expressionist Marc Rothko, Provencher uses the natural effects of light and reflection as inspiration for his use of colour.

Saturday, October 19 - 1:00 pm

The Private Life of a Masterpiece:

Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper (1495)

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci depicts the dramatic moment when Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. From it's creation in 1495, the fresco has withstood a number of dramatic events, including two world wars, looters, bombings and a number of attempts to destroy the work. The conservation techniques used to restore the painting throughout the centuries, are almost as controversial as its subject matter.

Thursday, October 24- 7:00 pm 

The Private Life of a Masterpiece:

Salvador Dali - Christ of Saint John of the Cross (1951)

The Christ of St John of the Cross by Salvador Dali is the first of two extraordinary crucifixions painted by Dali in the early 1950s. The painting is based on a 'cosmic dream' Dali is said to have had, in which the nucleus of the atom is was a figure of Christ himself. 

The painting offers a surrealist view of the crucifixion of Christ, and is based on a drawing by the 16th century Spanish friar Saint John of the Cross. But Dali's vision was somewhat unique, using an unusual artistic perspective in which Christ is seen from above. 

Saturday, October 26 - 1:00 pm

The Private Life of a Masterpiece:

Piero della Francesca - The Resurrection (1435-65)

The Resurrection, is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, showing the resurrection of Christ. But the painting is not an idealised depiction of Christ, unlike images before it. Blood drips from his wounds, and the bags under his eyes suggest he is unwell,  his nose looks flattened and his beard is not well-tended. 

Writer Aldous Huxley, considered it “the greatest picture in the world”, noted this Christ’s “physical and intellectual power”.

Saturday, November 2 - 1:00 pm

The Private Life of a Masterpiece:

Francisco Goya- The Third of May, 1808 (1814)

The Third Of May 1808,  portrays the slaughter of civilians, after Napoleon's troops entered Madrid during the Dos de Mayo Uprising in 1808. Painted in 1814 by Don Francisco Goya, the picture was far removed from the conventional expectations of a war painting. Instead of glorifying the King, the army or the state, Goya focused on a group of anonymous soldiers being shot at point-blank range by a firing squad. 

Thursday, November 7 - 7:00 pm to 8:00pm

The Private Life of a Masterpiece:

Michelangelo - David (1501)
Michelangelo's large-scale marble sculpture, represents the biblical figure of David, a favoured subject in the art world of Florence at the end of the 15th century. This episode begins in a marble quarry, and slowly reveals how the artist managed to capture the human body in exquisitely fine detail, when so many other before him tried and failed.

Scott Waters, The Twins (3VP), oil and acrylic on panel, 30" x 40", 2012 

Saturday, November 9 1:00 to 3:30 pm

Artist Talk: Scott Waters - Canadian Forces War Artist Program (CFAP)

CFAP is the most recent initiative in a long history of war-art programs that started during the First World War. Canadian art icons such as Arthur Lismer, Alex Colville and Pegi Nicol MacLoed have participated in various incarnations of the program, which offers current Canadian artists, “opportunities to support the independent, creative work of professional Canadian artists of all cultures who wish to contribute to the history of the Canadian Forces.”

Toronto based artist Scott Waters was selected to participate in the program twice, travelling to military bases in Canada and Afghanistan to record the daily operations of Canadian troops. A former infantryman with the Third Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Waters draws on his time in the army, and his work with CFAP, to represent how the infantry operates as a distinct social unit.

To see a full schedule of our Art & Ideas talks, click here>>