SYLVAIN TREMBLAY, January 15 to February 8, 2009, Thompson Landry Gallery, Calgary
1 of 3
"Discussion sans mot"
Sylvain Tremblay, "Discussion sans mot," 2008, mixed media, 48" X 60".
2 of 3
"Prise de Temps"
Sylvain Tremblay, "Prise de Temps," 2008, mixed media, 24" X 38".
3 of 3
"Discussion sans mot"
Sylvain Tremblay, "Discussion sans mot," 2008, mixed media, 48" X 60".
SYLVAIN TREMBLAY
Thompson Landry Gallery, Calgary
January 15 to February 8, 2009
By Dina O'Meara
It seems appropriate that Quebec-based artist Sylvain Tremblay had his first formal exhibition in 2000. The mixed-media painter launched a unique perspective onto the Canadian art world as it entered the new millennium, with his richly layered abstracts anchored by solitary human figures. Seven years and many shows later, Tremblay comes to Calgary for a much-anticipated first solo exhibition in the western city.
The 42-year-old has become known in Canada and internationally for his signature images of elongated human forms glowing against abstract backdrops. Tremblay likens his work to sculpture, and makes liberal use of gesso, metal, sand and textiles to create almost three-dimensional figures and undulating abstract landscapes of colour. Layers of varnish make his pieces reflective and emphasize the luminescent nature of his paintings and themes of urban disconnect.
Tremblay’s use of ethereal, roughly sketched foreground figures creates a tension in the frame — they emerge alone and separate from the world behind them. The rich texture of the canvas helps communicate the complexity of life, a theme Tremblay embraces along with history and the inexorable passage of time.
Tremblay started his career as a graphic artist, working commercial projects to critical acclaim soon after his graduation from College Ste-Foy in Quebec. In 2000 he was nominated during the exhibition of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, and became a finalist in the poster category of the Quebec marketing forum.
While paying the rent and gaining recognition through work with advertising agencies in the 1990s, Tremblay started focusing more on painting and fine art. He drew inspiration from surrealist sculptor Alberto Giacometti, whose stretched-out human figures became the foundation of Tremblay’s signature forms.
He decided to dedicate himself to his passion in the late 1990s, and launched his first show in the new millennium. In 2003, he was showing in New York, and the following year in Brussels, Zurich and Hong Kong. By 2005, Tremblay was firmly established as a dynamic new Canadian force.
In this latest show, Tremblay shows a subtle evolution through a bolder use of colour and form, drawing the viewer in. He incorporates deep, rich, jewel tones in red and turquoise, as well as characteristic gold tones. The accessible nature of Tremblay’s human figures gives viewers something to connect with — the recognizable shapes open the door to further exploration of his abstracts.