Fort Edmonton (1880s)
Artist
David Garneau
(Canadian, born 1962)
Date2006
Mediumacrylic on canvas
Dimensions122.2 x 153.2 cm
Credit LineThe Mendel Art Gallery Collection at Remai Modern. Purchased with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance program 2010, and with funds raised by the Gallery Group.
Object number2010.5.1
Classificationspainting
On View
Not on viewFort Edmonton (1880s) references David Garneau’s Métis family background in the Edmonton area. His great-great-grandparents, Eleanor and Laurent Garneau, fled Red River after the Resistance of 1869. They settled on a river lot in the neighbourhood that today bears their name. The work appears to be an abstract painting. It can also be read as a map of the North Saskatchewan River with Métis land lots, including those of Garneau's family, along its banks.
The pointillist paint application in this artwork references both the history of modernist abstraction and intricate Métis beadwork. Through his deliberate incorporation of narrative and cultural identity, Garneau challenges the notion of pure abstraction that prioritizes formal elements. By integrating multiple and sometimes conflicting artistic references, the painting prompts a critical examination of form, historical and political messages, and the artist’s own background.
The pointillist paint application in this artwork references both the history of modernist abstraction and intricate Métis beadwork. Through his deliberate incorporation of narrative and cultural identity, Garneau challenges the notion of pure abstraction that prioritizes formal elements. By integrating multiple and sometimes conflicting artistic references, the painting prompts a critical examination of form, historical and political messages, and the artist’s own background.
