Mary Pratt (painter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Pratt
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| Born |
Mary Frances West
March 15, 1935 Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
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| Died | August 14, 2018 (aged 83) St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
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| Education | Mount Allison University |
| Known for | Painter |
| Spouse(s) |
Christopher Pratt
(m. 1957; div. 1990) |
Mary Frances Pratt (born West) was a famous Canadian painter. She lived from March 15, 1935, to August 14, 2018. Pratt was known for her realistic paintings, especially of everyday objects. She often painted what she felt a strong connection to.
Pratt believed her art wasn't limited to one type of subject. Her early works showed scenes from home life. Later, her paintings sometimes had a deeper, more serious feeling. People often became the main focus in these later works. She loved to show how light made her subjects look and feel special.
Contents
Mary Pratt's Art Career
Painting Style and Subjects
Mary Pratt's art often showed her life in rural Newfoundland. She painted common things found around the house. These included jars of jelly, apples, aluminum foil, and paper bags. Pratt used photos to help her paint. Her style was bold and made everyday items look very real and vivid.
She made ordinary things look beautiful and artistic. Some people say she changed how Canadians see things, much like the Group of Seven painters did. Pratt found her unique style in the late 1960s. She realized that light was key to her art. She then started using photography in her painting process. Her paintings The Bed (1968) and Supper Table (1969) are early examples of her special style.
In 1978, Pratt's painting Girl in a Wicker Chair was featured on the cover of Saturday Night magazine. This painting was part of a series about Donna Meaney. Donna also modeled for Pratt's artist husband, Christopher Pratt. Some of Mary Pratt's paintings of Donna were based on her husband's photos. These works look different from those Pratt composed herself. Pratt's portraits of Donna often show a strong feeling. However, Pratt always saw Donna as a friend.
In the 1980s, Pratt explored new ideas and materials. She painted a series about weddings. One painting, Barby in the Dress She Made Herself (1986), shows her daughter Barbara. She also created a series of paintings and drawings about fires. These fires were a way to show ideas about sacrifice. Using pastels and colored pencils for these works allowed her to paint on a larger scale.
In the early 1990s, Pratt's paintings sometimes showed a darker, more intense mood. For example, Pomegranates in Glass on Glass (1993) shows the fruit torn apart. Its bright red seeds are exposed. In 2013, Pratt told The Globe and Mail that her paintings often had a deeper meaning. She said, "People will find out that in each one of the paintings there is something that ought to disturb them, something upsetting. That is why I painted them."
Art Exhibitions
Mary Pratt's paintings have been shown in many major art galleries across Canada. Her work has also appeared in magazines like Saturday Night, Chatelaine, and Canadian Art. Her art is part of many important public and private collections. These include the National Gallery of Canada, The Rooms, and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Her work is also at Canada House in England.
Pratt's first solo art show was in 1967. It was held at the Memorial University Art Gallery in St. John's. Her art was first shown outside Atlantic Canada in 1971. This was part of an exhibition at the Picture Loan Gallery in Toronto. In 1973, Erindale College in Toronto gave her a show of her own.
Pratt's work gained wider attention in 1975. The National Gallery of Canada included her paintings and drawings in an exhibition. This show was called Some Canadian Women Artists. Her art became popular around the same time as the women's movement. Many colleges and universities began discussing her art in their women's studies programs. Public galleries also started showing Pratt's work. They held special shows looking back at her career. These included Museum London (1981) and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (1983).
In 1995, a traveling exhibition called The Art of Mary Pratt: The Substance of Light was organized. It started at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The book that went with the exhibition won many awards. It was even included in Great Canadian Books of the Century.
More recent shows include Inside Light at the Equinox Gallery in Vancouver (2011). Another was New Paintings and Works on Paper at the Mira Godard Gallery in Toronto (2012).
A solo exhibition called Mary Pratt traveled across Canada from 2013 to 2015. It was put together by The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery and Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. The exhibition visited several cities. These included Windsor, Kleinburg, Regina, and Halifax.
Another solo exhibition, Mary Pratt: This Little Painting, was at the National Gallery of Canada. It ran from April 2015 to January 2016. It then moved to the Owens Art Gallery at Mount Allison University.
Public Service
Mary Pratt also used her skills to help her community. She served on a government committee for education in Newfoundland in 1973. She also advised on the fishing industry from 1978 to 1979. Pratt was on the board of a hospital in St. John's. She also helped with a committee that reviewed federal cultural policies in 1981.
In 1985, Pratt led a committee to help create the School of Fine Arts. This school was at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. She held other important roles too. She was on the Canada Council from 1987 to 1993. She also served on the Board of Regents for Mount Allison University. In the 1980s, Pratt began giving speeches and writing articles for newspapers like The Globe and Mail.
Mary Pratt's Personal Life
Mary Pratt was the daughter of attorney William J. West. Her father was the Minister of Justice for New Brunswick. Her mother was Katherine E. MacMurray. From a very young age, Mary was fascinated by how light touched objects. She started taking painting lessons when she was 10. She had a younger sister named Barbara West Cross. Her maternal grandmother, Edna McMurray, was a strong influence on her. Edna was a co-founder of the first IODE chapter in New Brunswick.
Pratt studied Fine Arts at Mount Allison University. Her teachers included famous artists like Alex Colville and Lawren P. Harris. She finished her degree in 1961. In her second year, she met fellow artist Christopher Pratt. They married on September 12, 1957. After their marriage, they moved to Scotland. Christopher had been accepted to the Glasgow School of Art.
In 1963, they moved to Salmonier in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1964, the Memorial University Art Gallery held an exhibition of her work. Mary and Christopher had five children: John, Anne, Barbara, Ned, and David, who passed away as a baby. Mary and Christopher divorced in 2005.
Awards and Honours
Mary Pratt received many awards for her art. In 1996, she was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest civilian honors. In 1997, she won the $50,000 Molson Prize for visual artists. This award came from the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2013, she became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Pratt also received nine honorary degrees from different universities across Canada. These included degrees from Dalhousie University (1985), Memorial University (1986), and St. Thomas University (2000).
In 2006, Pratt won the Long Haul Award at the EVA Awards ceremony. This award recognized her as an important artist in Newfoundland's visual arts.
In 2007, Canada Post honored Mary Pratt with special stamps. These stamps were part of their "Art Canada" series. The $0.52 stamp showed her painting Jelly Shelf (1999). A souvenir sheet included this stamp and a $1.55 stamp. The $1.55 stamp featured her painting Iceberg in the North Atlantic (1991).
