Comment: Governor General Lauds Artists of Canada
Governor General Michaëlle Jean examines the work of Wil Murray, who received an honourable mention in the RBC Canadian Painting Competition / photo Serge Gouin
Last Thursday, September 25, a day when author Margaret Atwood was in the Globe and Mail with a fierce essay defending funding for the arts, Governor General Michaëlle Jean was at the National Gallery in Ottawa to congratulate the finalists of the 2008 RBC Canadian Painting Competition. With succinct grace, she used the occasion of the crowded evening reception to remind her audience of the role of artists in culture.
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The Governor General speaks at the 10th Anniversary RBC Painting Competition awards announcement at the National Gallery of Canada / photo Serge Gouin |
She said, “In a world in which we are bombarded by images, we can become strangely blind to everything around us. But our artists encourage us to see things differently, to look beneath the surface. Yes, you, our artists, reveal to us something of the intangible, of the essential and of the truth, allowing us a glimpse of the world through your eyes. You show us life as it exists behind outward appearances. As Jacques Ferron once wrote, ‘Your vision can be at times serious, at times playful, always unique. It seeks to challenge us, to provoke us, to move us. It compels us to stop and to reflect, as you share your perspectives on issues of global concern. It never leaves us feeling indifferent.’
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Installation of Norval Morrisseau’s Androgyny in progress in the ballroom at Rideau Hall / photo Serge Gouin |
This is why we often say that a work of art speaks to us. The truth is, it invites us, in its own way, to engage in an unspoken dialogue of the eyes and the mind. It is this questioning, this search for meaning and understanding, that allow us to make sense of the world around us and of the fears and desires that each of us holds within.
Without you, without your works, our imaginations would be weakened; our world would be without a soul. Bravo and thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
The week before, showing a welcome, adventurous taste, the Governor-General also oversaw the installation of Norval Morrisseau’s epic-scaled painting Androgyny in the grand ballroom of Rideau Hall.
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Completed installation of Norval Morrisseau’s Androgyny in the Rideau Hall Ballroom / photo Serge Gouin |
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