Allan Harding MacKay: The Court Painter

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Allan Harding MacKay, "We Live in a World With A Moral Calculus That Didn’t Exist Before," 2017

digital collage

Allan Harding MacKay: The Court Painter

Opening reception: Saturday, September 30 at 9 PM

A self-proclaimed political junkie, artist Allan Harding MacKay creatively digitizes his satirical views about the recurring political and celebrity buffoonery in Canada and elsewhere. The characters featured in his cartoon collages either occupy the electoral centre stage or strategically manipulate it from the wings. Contingent on current political circumstances, images of the players are plucked from the Internet and inserted into various staged settings. Begun in mid-2013, and emailed for fun to friends, these creations give MacKay a platform to humorously vent his opinion and protest the daily news he avidly reads online.

MacKay's skillfully constructed collages are created from the vantage of the Court Painter as chronicler of Canada's politicos, players, journalists and hangers-on in what could be regarded as a revival of the traditional relationship between the court artist & court fool and those who consider themselves to be the ruling elite. It is a style reminiscent of the 18th & 19th Century satirists and social critics.

The Court Painter conceit lays bare a contemporary bemused penchant for political peccadilloes while taking pokes at our public conscience.

MacKay’s close friend John Will plays the part of Court Painter. A practicing artist and retired professor at the University of Calgary, Will’s real-life persona is equally theatrical. In each image, MacKay animates the Court Painter with telling facial expressions, various outfits and a purposeful deportment adding to the overall wit. With smoke wafting from his ever-present cigarette, the Court Painter’s mannerisms make his message clear.

A H MacKay represents the Court Painter as A Hardon MacKay Press Attache & Communications Strategist

Web Site: http://allanhardingmackay.ca/courtpainter