Rebels & Iconoclasts: Andrew Kear on William Kurelek

Born and raised on the Prairies, William Kurelek (1927-1977) created meticulously crafted paintings that predominantly explore his Roman Catholic religion and his Ukrainian-Canadian cultural roots, confronting viewers with the stark challenges faced by immigrants. For Kurelek, style and technical skill were meaningless; he wanted to express emotions in an idiosyncratic and deeply personal manner. He developed a distinct approach to painting, using ballpoint pens and texturing with coloured pencils then scrubbing and scratching at the resulting image. From didactic writings about his work sprang a number of children’s books, for which he also became well known in Canada.
Andrew Kear is chief curator and curator of Canadian art at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and a sessional lecturer in Canadian art at the University of Winnipeg. He has written and curated exhibitions on a diverse range of Canadian artists, from L.L. FitzGerald to William Kurelek and most recently Karel Funk. Kear’s writing has been published in the magazines Canadian Art, Border Crossings, and Sculpture, and he was a juror for the 2015 Canadian Art Foundation Writing Prize.
To read William Kurelek: Life & Work by Andrew Kear, visit www.aci-iac.ca.