Robert Boyer (artist)
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Boyer was a Canadian visual artist and university professor of aboriginal
heritage. He was a Métis
Cree
artist known for his politically charged abstract paintings.
and earned a BEd from the Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan
in 1971. He joined the Saskatchewan arts community in 1973 and worked on community programming at the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery
in Regina
until the mid-1970s. He was then a professor of Indian Fine Arts at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College ("SIFC") (now First Nations University of Canada
), a federated college of the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, later the University of Regina
, until 1997. During his time at the SIFC, Boyer acted as the Head of the Department of Indian Fine Arts.
Boyer's early paintings use material such as acrylics, paper, and canvas. The earliest paintings are realistic, but he soon embarked on an effort to incorporate an abstract style in his work. One of the earliest results of this is "Horses Can Fly, Too," a representation of a horse-figure streaking through the sky. Boyer is well known for his large-scale geometric paintings on felt blankets that he produced primarily in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This began after a trip to China and Japan. He said, "There were paintings on silk or cloth and gradually this whole thing about art not having to be made on stretched canvas really began to get through to me." Boyer used oils paints applied thickly, using rough brush strokes in many of these works. The geometric designs on the blanket paintings come from the tradition art motifs of Siouan and Cree
groups in Western Canada. Boyer tended to use traditional colour combinations in early blanket paintings, but some later examples are painted in pastels.
At first Boyer painted about the wrong Europeans have done to Aboriginal peoples, but he later switched to things about the Aboriginal culture and the meaning of life. Boyer called all of this 'Blanket Statements'.
Many of the pieces from the Boyer's 'Blanket Period' are in the permanent collections of major galleries such the National Gallery of Canada
and the Norman Mackenzie Gallery. Paintings bear unique and enigmatic titles that came to Boyer at poignant moments such as after sweat lodge
ceremonies.
Boyer's influences from aboriginal art traditions are obvious, but he was also influenced by local Saskatchewan artists such as Ted Godwin
and Art McKay of the Regina Five
, and to a lesser extent Joe Fafard
. As a university professor and elder, Boyer mentored many young aboriginal and non-aboriginal artists.
Boyer died in 2004 while powwow
dancing.
. A large mural forms part of the display of the winter camp in the "Seasonal Round" section of the Gallery.
On August 2, 2011, the City of Regina
announced that Safeway has applied for zoning changes to allow it to expand its 13th Avenue store.. The Information Sheet for the proposed re-zoning application states that "... most of the flanking on the existing site will be lost to the grocery store expansion..." The Information Sheet does not state if the Boyer mural will be preserved in some fashion, or if Canada Safeway will destroy the mural as part of the expansion of its store.
The issue of the mural is beginning to attract some attention in a column in the local newspaper, and in letters to the editor.
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
heritage. He was a Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
artist known for his politically charged abstract paintings.
Life and work
Boyer grew up in Prince Albert, SaskatchewanPrince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
and earned a BEd from the Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
in 1971. He joined the Saskatchewan arts community in 1973 and worked on community programming at the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery
Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery
The MacKenzie Art Gallery is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The MacKenzie Art Gallery has over of space, with eight galleries totaling . It has modern technical areas including conservation lab, workshop, preparation rooms and vault, a 185-seat theatre, public resource centre, gift shop...
in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
until the mid-1970s. He was then a professor of Indian Fine Arts at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College ("SIFC") (now First Nations University of Canada
First Nations University of Canada
The First Nations University of Canada is a university in Saskatchewan, Canada with campuses in Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert...
), a federated college of the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, later the University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
, until 1997. During his time at the SIFC, Boyer acted as the Head of the Department of Indian Fine Arts.
Boyer's early paintings use material such as acrylics, paper, and canvas. The earliest paintings are realistic, but he soon embarked on an effort to incorporate an abstract style in his work. One of the earliest results of this is "Horses Can Fly, Too," a representation of a horse-figure streaking through the sky. Boyer is well known for his large-scale geometric paintings on felt blankets that he produced primarily in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This began after a trip to China and Japan. He said, "There were paintings on silk or cloth and gradually this whole thing about art not having to be made on stretched canvas really began to get through to me." Boyer used oils paints applied thickly, using rough brush strokes in many of these works. The geometric designs on the blanket paintings come from the tradition art motifs of Siouan and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
groups in Western Canada. Boyer tended to use traditional colour combinations in early blanket paintings, but some later examples are painted in pastels.
At first Boyer painted about the wrong Europeans have done to Aboriginal peoples, but he later switched to things about the Aboriginal culture and the meaning of life. Boyer called all of this 'Blanket Statements'.
Many of the pieces from the Boyer's 'Blanket Period' are in the permanent collections of major galleries such the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
and the Norman Mackenzie Gallery. Paintings bear unique and enigmatic titles that came to Boyer at poignant moments such as after sweat lodge
Sweat lodge
The sweat lodge is a ceremonial sauna and is an important event in some North American First Nations or Native American cultures...
ceremonies.
Boyer's influences from aboriginal art traditions are obvious, but he was also influenced by local Saskatchewan artists such as Ted Godwin
Ted Godwin
Edward W. Godwin, OC is a Canadian artist who was part of the Regina Five, a group of five artists all based in Regina, Saskatchewan...
and Art McKay of the Regina Five
Regina Five
Regina Five is the name given to five abstract painters, Kenneth Lochhead, Arthur McKay, Douglas Morton, Ted Godwin, and Ronald Bloore, who displayed their works in the 1961 National Gallery of Canada's exhibition "Five Painters from Regina".-External links:...
, and to a lesser extent Joe Fafard
Joe Fafard
Joseph Fafard, OC, SOM is a Canadian sculptor.-Biography:Born in Sainte-Marthe, Saskatchewan in 1942 to Leopold Fafard and Julienne Cantin whose families both date back centuries in Canada. Joe is a descendant of Jacques Goulet. He received a B.S.A from the University of Manitoba in 1966 and a...
. As a university professor and elder, Boyer mentored many young aboriginal and non-aboriginal artists.
Boyer died in 2004 while powwow
PowWow
PowWow is a wireless sensor network mote developed by the Cairn team of IRISA/INRIA. The platform is currently based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard radio transceiver and on an MSP430 microprocessor...
dancing.
Murals in the Royal Saskatchewan Museum
Boyer painted large murals in the First Nations Gallery of the Royal Saskatchewan MuseumRoyal Saskatchewan Museum
The Royal Saskatchewan Museum was established in Regina as the Provincial Museum in 1906 to "secure and preserve natural history specimens and objects of historical and ethnological interest." It was the first museum in Saskatchewan, Canada, and the first provincial museum in the three Prairie...
. A large mural forms part of the display of the winter camp in the "Seasonal Round" section of the Gallery.
The Carousel of Life Mural
One of Boyer's larger works is the Carousel of Life mural, painted on the exterior west wall of the building located at 2941-13th Avenue in the Cathedral district of Regina, which is adjacent to the 13th Avenue Canada Safeway grocery store. It depicts four horses framed by one of Boyer's blankets. It was commissioned by the Cathedral Area Community Association in 1996, as part of the annual arts festival.On August 2, 2011, the City of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
announced that Safeway has applied for zoning changes to allow it to expand its 13th Avenue store.. The Information Sheet for the proposed re-zoning application states that "... most of the flanking on the existing site will be lost to the grocery store expansion..." The Information Sheet does not state if the Boyer mural will be preserved in some fashion, or if Canada Safeway will destroy the mural as part of the expansion of its store.
The issue of the mural is beginning to attract some attention in a column in the local newspaper, and in letters to the editor.
Selected major exhibitions (solo and group)
- Horses Fly Too, Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, 1984.
- Bob Boyer: A Blanket Statement organized by the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, 1988. - In the Shadow of the Sun, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa, 1988.
- Shades of Difference: The Art of Bob Boyer, Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, 1991.
- Indigena, Canadian Museum of CivilizationCanadian Museum of CivilizationThe Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
, Ottawa, 1992.
External links
- Bob Boyer, The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
- Robert Boyer, Canadian Encyclopedia