User:Tufaceous/Sandbox
Gerald Trottier | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gerald Mathew Trottier |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Art Students League of New York |
| Known for | Painting, mosaics, sculpture, lithography |
Gerald Mathew Trottier (September 9, 1925 - July 1, 2004) was a Canadian artist whose work often reflected his strong Roman Catholic faith. He was noted for his belief that the artist is an artisan labouring in the service of God, and for his preoccupation with what he called "the pilgrimage of man". Trottier worked in a range of styles that developed throughout his life, and used a wide variety of media, including watercolours, oils, and acrylics. He also created a number of large murals and mosaics. An integral part of Trottier's work was his involvement in the design and creation of liturgical appointments for Catholic churches and religious institutions.
Life[edit]
Childhood[edit]
Career[edit]
In 1943, at the age of eighteen, Trottier left high school to enlist in the Royal Canadian Navy, where he was trained as a telegrapher and signalman. During his time in the navy, Trottier continued to pursue his interest in watercolour painting. A number of these wartime works are in the collection of the Canadian War Museum.[1]
After his demobilization, Trottier returned to Ottawa Technical High School to complete his courses, graduating in 1946. He had intended to enroll at the Ontario College of Art, but classes were full due to the postwar boom of veterans taking advantage of the educational benefits of the 1945 Veterans Rehabilitation Act. As a result, Trottier enrolled at the Art Students League of New York, which he attended from 1947 to 1949, with a temporary leave in 1948 to paint a large mural of the Battle of Ortona for the Department of National Defence.[2]
Ottawa[edit]
- 1949 marriage to Irma Tremblay.
Trottier's interest in boxing is reflected in some of his early works.
Some of Trottier's early postwar watercolours depict scenes from Ottawa's Lowertown.
Like a number of artists in postwar Ottawa, Trottier was unable to support himself and his family through his art, so he worked as a public servant for a number of government departments and agencies (specify, name).
- 1952 grant
- 1953 pilgrimage to Chartres Cathedral.[nb 1]
- 1950s and early 1960s influence of Graham Sutherland[3]
- Trottier's 1962 mosaic The Pilgrimage of Man was the first piece of public art commissioned by Carleton University.
London[edit]
Calumet Island[edit]
Death[edit]
Trottier was diagnosed with dementia in 1999, and subsequently with Alzheimer's Disease. In 2002, he and Irma sold their farmhouse on Calumet Island and moved to Ottawa, but in late 2003 Trottier moved to the Perley Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre, where he died of respiratory failure on July 1, 2004.[4]
Awards[edit]
(in progress)
- Senior Fellowship Grant, Canada Council for the Arts (1962)
- University of Western Ontario artist in residence (1965–67)
- Allied Arts Medal, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (1967)
Works[edit]
Secular Commissions[edit]
(in process)
- The Battle of Ortona (mural, 1947)
- The Pilgrimage of Man (mosaic, 1962)[5]
- Untitled (mosaic, ca. 1966-68)[6]
- Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch (mosaic, 1973)
Churches and Religious Institutions[edit]
- St. Basil's Seminary, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto (1954)
- St. Ignatius Church, Ottawa (1961)
- St. Basil's Church, Ottawa (1961)[7]
- Blessed Sacrament Church, Ottawa (1962)
- St. Mary's College, Maitland, Ontario (1962)
- St. Monica Church, Ottawa (1965)
- St. Maurice Church, Ottawa (1965)
- St. Elizabeth Church, Ottawa (1965)
- Chapel of Les Sœurs de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame complex, Ottawa (1965)
- Mary Immaculate Church, London, Ontario (1967)
- St. Anne's Church, Windsor (1970)
- Church of the Annunciation of the Lord, Ottawa (1984)
- St. Basil's Church, Ottawa (1997)
Work in Museum Collections[edit]
- Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
- Art Gallery of Hamilton
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- Art Gallery of Windsor
- Canadian War Museum
- Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa
- City of Ottawa
- Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown
- Department of International Affairs and International Trade
- Lethbridge College
- McIntosh Gallery, University of Western Ontario
- Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon
- Museum London, London, Ontario
- National Gallery of Canada
- Ottawa Art Gallery
- The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, St. John's
- University College, Toronto
- Winnipeg Art Gallery
Work in Other Collections[edit]
- Royal Bank of Canada
- St. Paul University, Ottawa
- Sakto Corporation, Ottawa
Notes[edit]
- ^ In 1953, the Chartres Pilgrimage had recently been created by Gérard Calvet.
References[edit]
- ^ Dyck, 13-16.
- ^ Dyck, 16-17.
- ^ Dyck, 32-33
- ^ Dyck, 59.
- ^ The Making of a Mural: The Pilgrimage of Man (1962) by Gerald Trottier
- ^ Art at Queen's Park: The Macdonald Block - Untitled - Gerald Trottier
- ^ St. Basil's Church, Ottawa
Bibliography[edit]
- Dyck, Sandra (2008). A Pilgrim's Progress: The Life and Art of Gerald Trottier. Ottawa, ON: Carleton University Art Gallery. ISBN 978-0-7709-0525-5.
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