Blue

November 12, 2022 - May 21, 2023

works from the Permanent Collection

“I want to die with my blue jeans on.”

Andy Warhol

Is there a colour, other than the colour blue, that can encompass such a broad range of emotion? Serenity to despair, devotion to desolation, purity to the profane…

Our interpretation lies in the varied contexts and perspectives as we look to discern the many distinct shades between a blue-collar worker and religious order nun, the feeling of having the blues and blue-sky thinking, or tranquil meditation and shocking revelation.

“I’ve been feeling a little blue — just a pale, elusive azure. It isn’t serious enough for anything darker.”

L.M. Montgomery

As you explore this exhibition, consider blue in all its depth and complexity as a psychological, emotional, spiritual and political signifier. Perhaps within these disparate notions of blue, we can find concepts to share and connect us as people on this blue planet.

Artists Exhibited

David Bierk, Anne Meredith Barry, Carl Beam, John William Beatty, Ron Bolt, John Boyle, Michael Caines, Ivan Eyre, Brian Fisher, Emma Hesse, J.C. Heywood, David Hockney, James Lahey, Rita Letendre, Les Levine, Erik Loder, Laura Muntz-Lyall, Christopher Pratt, Ron Shuebrook, David Solomon,

painting with a dark blue background and solid curvilinear lines in yellow, orange, red, pale and medium blue that extend horizontally across the canvas

David Solomon, Swimming, 1976, acrylic on canvas. Collection of the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Gift of Richard Dellamora, 2000

silkscreen print of a seascape in shades of blue with a clear pale sky

Christopher Pratt, Labrador Sea, 1980, silkscreen on paper, ed. 61/93, Gift of Bruno Morawetz, 1983.

Painting of two nuns sitting in a boat on still water, each wearing a white habit and plain casual dresses. Between them on the floor of the boat are two casks with handles

Laura Muntz-Lyall, On the River, Holland, 1893, oil on canvas. Gift of the Peterborough Teachers College, 1973.

abstract drawing featuring bright blues and oranges that blend together and are composed in horizontal lines

Rita Letendre, XVI, 1982, pastel on paper. Collection of the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Gift of Evelyn Aimis, 1992.

screenprint in shades of blue with a collage of different imagery including: a root vegetable, a skeletal arm, and the word crash in uppercase letters

J.C. Heywood, Crash, n.d., serigraph on paper, ed. A/P. Collection of the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Gift of the artist J.C. Heywood, 2009.

an x ray of a person's chest on blue acetate

Les Levine, Chest X-Ray, from the Toronto 20 Portfolio, 1965, silkscreen on acetate, ed. 73/100. Collection of the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Purchased with the assistance of the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture through a Wintario Grant, 1983.

More Exhibitions

Watershed

Jun. 26, 2024 - Nov. 3, 2024

Mary Anne Barkhouse, John Boyle, Brad Copping, Liz Magor, Stan Olthuis, Amanda Strong, and Olivia Whetung “In waterways, there is a constant flow of intergenerational knowledge passing through the lakes, rivers and oceans; every body of wat...

For Posterity II: works from the Permanent Collection

Apr. 5, 2024 - Jun. 16, 2024

In celebration of our 50th anniversary, this exhibition celebrates the AGP's Permanent Collection as a cornerstone of our institution. For Posterity II is a new iteration, bringing forward additional works and juxtapositions to continue an exploratio...

For Posterity: works from the Permanent Collection

Feb. 17, 2024 - Mar. 24, 2024

Gathering works from our early acquisitions, this exhibition reflects important gifts from key supporters and past exhibitions. The Art Gallery of Peterborough was founded as a contemporary gallery and its collection reflects this. Built with support...