Westmount Library Event - Art Now

On Tuesday October 4, I gave a presentation for Art Now at the Westmount Library. This is my talk.

I was the wife of Goodridge Roberts and lived with him for 22 years until his death in 1974. He was an artist, a painter, at an important juncture in the history of Canadian art. Modernism had begun and was reinforced by the arrival of John Lyman from France. In Quebec the issuing of the Refus Global manifesto and its passionate rejection of much of the past resulted in abstract  painting holding sway. In the rest of Canada, the Group of Seven had not yet developed into the iconic force it was to assume and to remain to this day. Goodridge’s own approach had resulted from his studies in New York in the twenties and his appreciation of the work of many French artists of the day, especially that of Cezanne.

        He had gained considerable recognition for his work by the time we met in 1952 and was selected by the National Gallery to represent Canada in the Venice Biennale of that year along with Emily Carr, David Milne and Alfred Pellan.In appearance Goodridge was tall and good looking. In manner he was gentle and courteous with a fine sense of humour and the soul of a poet. He found it hard to say no to anyone’s needs but had developed the ability and concentration to work hard at his chosen profession. We became deeply committed to each other that fateful 1952 summer on the rocky island shores of Georgian Bay. It was, however, necessary to get through a chaotic and painful two years before we could marry and settle down. I lost legal custody of my three year old daughter and experienced a distressing separation and divorce.

        I describe in my book the year we spent in Europe, mostly in France but also extended visits to Italy and Holland. It was an immersion in museums and their collections, as well as in the surroundings in which artists of other eras had flourished as well as suffered. Of quite a different order was the year when we lived in New Brunswick and Goodridge was resident artist at the University of New Brunswick. Following a large retrospective exhibition at the Beaverbrook Gallery he was awarded an honorary degree from the University. Later he would receive the Order of Canada from the Canadian government.

On our return to Montreal there were many summers in parts of Quebec and Ontario where almost every day was set aside for at least one more glorious landscape. If wet weather settled in a still life could be set up, or I might be asked to pose for a figure painting. Posing is surprisingly difficult and tiring, and for an active person, often boring. After a few years I made the rule that I must have a book and be able to read if I were to pose.

        In Montreal in the fifties life for artists was quite different from today. A site to exhibit one’s work was extremely important and very necessary for even meager economic survival. Private galleries were few and public museums often had specific criteria and juries for their exhibitions. But organizations for artists flourished and their annual exhibitions were a favoured place to show one’s work. With fewer artists than today, everyone tended to know each other even if their approaches to painting differed and so we socialized and exchanged art news and gossip.

I worked throughout our marriage as a social worker in a variety of settings.  Glynnis, my daughter was joined with the adoption of a baby boy, Timothy, in 1962  Then our good fortune evaporated in 1963 when Goodridge succumbed to a major depression which would haunt him until his death in 1974. Our life became dark and unhappy. Only in retrospect could I remain conscious of the rich and fulfilling life we had lived and feel grateful for our good fortune in finding one another. This is what I hoped to convey in my book.