Reviews
The magnificent new book illustrating his career, Christopher Pratt: Six Decades. with a valuable text by Tom Smart, demonstrates that Pratt's work makes a powerful impression when viewed in quantity. One Pratt looks good but 140 Pratts--paintings, watercolours, print--are overwhelming in an agreeable and convincing way. Together they tell an exhilarating story about an intelligent artist learning how to turn the experience of his life into art of authority and permanence., The clean lines and uncluttered landscape of a Christopher Pratt painting are instantly recognizable. The Newfoundland native has achieved enormous success while staying connected to his origins. This beautifully reproduced retrospective looks at Pratt's entire career from his prizewinning 1954 The Bait Rocks watercolour all the way through to his 2013 Argentia series. Tom Smart chronicles Pratt's journey from young pre-med student to his transition to art student and committed artist. Smart describes the impact that various artists had on Pratt's development of his own style and through his intelligent analysis, these subtle influences become more apparent in the paintings. The control of simple lines and rectangles are given extra dimension through Smart's descriptions and help provide deeper understanding of how Pratt seeks to find the abstract in the commonplace. Pratt is a master of the empty space and within it provides the viewer the chance for their own subconscious to bring forth an emotional response to the well ordered image. The clean lines and subtle tones that are Pratt's trademark are presented in large scale in the stunning collection of 140 paintings many that have not been seen in public before now., What a delight to engage with such a well-designed, thoughtful tribute to one of Canada's most important contemporary artists, Newfoundland painter and printmaker Christopher Pratt. Published in association with the Art Gallery of Sudbury, curator and writer Tom Smart distills decades of his personal and professional relationship with Pratt, covering everything from the painter's early influences and fascination with pre-Confederation Newfoundland to his affiliation with the school of Atlantic magic realism alongside Tom Forrestall and the late Alex Colville. Firefly Books designer Linda Gustafson's airy layout and full-page colour spreads give Pratt's meticulous paintings and sketches enough space for close study and quiet contemplation. Smart doesn't overdo the text, either, wisely turning ample space over to 140 of Pratt's works, which feel luxurious and complete., Christopher Pratt is widely acknowledged as an important Canadian painter, but he has long been viewed in the shadow of his better-known East Coast compatriot, Alex Colville. This gorgeously designed book seeks to redress the imbalance with a thoughtful journey examining almost the entirety of Pratt's artistic practice... Smart's clear, simple prose weaves between Pratt's images, helpfully referring to specific paintings to illustrate his points... We learn of his love of light, exemplified by several paintings of the same scene in radically different illumination. His more recent works have increased in complexity and implication--windows are more often open and figures appear. Perhaps out of respect for his subject, Smart never delves into the reasons behind Pratt's choice of subject matter or his wonderfully precise, austere style... Nonetheless, this book brings together the vast scope of Pratt's output, much of which had never been published, making it an important resource for one of our country's greatest (and thus far underappreciated) painters., Tom Smart gives us an accessible yet nuanced account of Christopher Pratt's life and practice.... Large reproductions of early works, serigraph prints, watercolours and studies draw closer attention to the more abstract and atmospheric qualities of Pratt's work... Alongside the anxiety, emptiness and quiet of Pratt's paintings, Smart reveals an enchanting, wondrous, meticulous and personal world., Finally, the book Newfoundland's Christopher Pratt, one of Canada's most prominent painters and printmakers, deserves. A large format retrospective covering the artist's entire career, this edition features well over 100 of Pratt's works with warm and appreciative accompanying text by curator Tom Smart., Unlike much contemporary art, viewers will have no difficultly figuring out Pratt's images but understanding what he is trying to say is another thing. After reading this new book, one may never look at a Pratt painting or print the same way.
