Charles Pachter

Red Barn Reflected - abstracted acrylic landscape with bright red, blue and teal

1998

This particular painting is a play on the form of the Canadian flag, the military history of Canada, the journey implied by the use of the tent, and of course, the primary symbolism of the pyramid. In true Pachter form, he manages to challenge and evoke all these ideas with riveting simplicity. One of Canada’s leading contemporary artists, Charles Pachter is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer, historian, and lecturer. His work is pursued by significant private and public collections. Born in Toronto, he studied art history at the University of Toronto, French literature at the Sorbonne, and painting and graphics at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. His work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the McMichael Gallery. He is represented in public and private collections throughout Canada, and internationally. He has held solo exhibitions in France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and India. Pachter worked at Expo 67 in Montreal supervising the installation of 60 contemporary sculptures from around the world. He taught printmaking at the University of Calgary in 1969-70. He spearheaded Toronto’s Queen Street West revival in the 1970s and 80s by restoring 20 old buildings into facilities for arts usage. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, a member of the Order of Ontario, and holds honorary doctorates from Brock University, OCAD University, and the University of Toronto where he is a Senior Fellow at Massey College. He is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. His images of the queen, moose, and maple leaf flag are icons of Canadian contemporary art. McClelland & Stewart publications include an illustrated book on his life and work, and The Journals of Susanna Moodie, his celebrated collaboration with poet Margaret Atwood. His murals of Hockey Knights in Canada can be seen in Toronto’s College Subway Station. Mr. Pachter lives and works in downtown Toronto in an award-winning studio designed by Canadian architect Stephen Teeple. His work is on permanent display in his adjoining Moose Factory Gallery. From 2004-2014 in summer he painted in The ICE HOUSE...

Charles Pachter returns to the Canadian wilderness for this painting. The internationally recognized pop artist has chosen to celebrate the sumach, a tree that is native to North America. Pachter’s sumach frames an orange harvest moon which appears in the fall. Farmers often use the light of this full moon to harvest their crops late into the night. Pachter’s moon is small and distant and the thin line of a lake and mountain in the background give the painting a greater depth of perspective. A painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer and author Pachter is a graduate of University of Toronto...

Charles Pachter’s love of barns has spanned decades. For the cherished Canadian contemporary artist the barn is a reminder of Canada’s strong rural roots and agricultural heritage. In this painting, the barn is a forest green; a colour that became popular after the 18th century invention of a paint pigment called ‘Paris green.’ The rich colours are enhanced by the reflection of the image in cool blue waters. The undulating borders blur the line between earth and sky. While Pachter has been much lauded as a pop artist often compared to David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Jim Dine, his charming imagery is distinctly his own. “Charles Pachter is the most Canadian artist this country has ever produced, including the Group of Seven. Charlie is a Group of One, and no one else can do what he does.” Leonard Wise, Author and Art Critic Pachter is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of France’s Ordres des Arts et des Lettres and twice a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee...

The textured surface of water, still and dark meets a strip of cream coloured sky in this long horizontal canvas. A cloud of green and pink on the far right horizon balances the atte...