Maclaren Art Centre

In medieval times, Labours of the Months calendars defined and evoked the tasks and pleasures ushered in by each month. In agrarian societies, one’s livelihood was deeply tied to the rhythm of the seasons. Defined, recognizable associations for each time of year served as a comfort for those dependent upon the inescapable patterns of weather and climate for survival.

Alex Colville sets himself in opposition to the traditional function of a Labours of the Months calendar. While some months in this series feature a familiar point of reference–September’s school bus, for example–others have a more ambiguous connection that one imagines is specific to the artist’s experience. As connections between society’s rhythms and those of the seasons unravel, our traditional associations with specific times of year become supplanted by personal associations.

"What seems important is that the idea for a particular month should have the kind of significance for the artist which enables him, one might say propels him, to make an image which is substantial enough, coherent enough, to be received by the viewer as a valid concept of the month even if, to the viewer, that particular image seems at first strange or incongruous. For example, perhaps only I would think of a crow as an emblem of December…. […] I am inclined to think that the capacity to respond to actual life experience may be heightened by the contemplation of art "
- Alex Colville

Alex Colville is one of Canada’s most celebrated and internationally renowned painters. Born in Toronto in 1920, Colville began his career as an Official War artist during World War II. His arresting observations of subjects and moody, meticulous technique give his works uncanny intimacy.