As soon as I heard about the publication of Mary Pratt—A Love Affair with Vision, I knew I wanted it. I put it on last year’s Christmas wish list and lo and behold it ‘mysteriously’ appeared under the tree! Since receiving it I have been savouring it in small bits and finally finished it this week. What a visual and artistic delight!
In the book, author Anne Koval takes us through Mary Pratt’s life, from her early days in Fredericton (born in 1935) through to her last years (she died in 2018). It begins chronologically and this chronology also becomes a thematic exploration of her work in chapters and Interlude sections titled “Moose Stories,” “Aspects of Ceremony,” “Fire and Ice,” and more. In the Introduction, Koval explains the rationale of her organizational approach:
“When I began my research I had not fully understood how closely her life intersected her work.
“… In reading Pratt’s work as a form of self portraiture or autobiography I begin most chapters with a work by the artist as an entry point into the narrative” – Anne Koval, Mary Pratt, p. 17.
Pratt’s themes that I find particularly interesting are her depictions of everyday life— the paintings of food and home interiors. I also love her celebration series for which she painted her daughter’s graduation dress on a clothesline, a wedding dress hanging from the branches of a tree, and another daughter’s portrait in her wedding dress, titled “Barby in the Dress She Made Herself.”
Anne Koval, the author, was admittedly deeply affected by Pratt’s work. She also teaches at Mount Allison University, the school Pratt herself had attended years earlier, and had a relationship with Pratt and her family so seems well positioned as an author of this biography.
The physical book is beautiful—printed on heavy, glossy paper, resplendent with photos of Pratt’s art and life. For those interested in Canadian art and artists, it’s a real treasure.
To read an earlier post about this book along with a few quotes, go HERE.
Violet Nesdoly 