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To Prince Edward Island, 1965

Painting by Alex Colville of a women with shoulder-length grey hair looking straight at the viewer through a pair of binoculars, the opaque lenses blocking her eyes. She is on a boat surrounded by blue water with a man sitting behind her, arms stretched across the bench seat. A lifeboat looms large in the background.

Alex Colville, To Prince Edward Island, 1965, acrylic emulsion on Masonite, 61.9 x 92.5 cm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

In this painting, Colville directly addresses the viewer in a way that generates unease and fascination. The female figure appears to be looking back at us as we gaze at her, but the opaque lenses of the binoculars show that she looks to the horizon, scanning the distance—seeing right through us. The contradiction between what is (a flat arrangement of coloured pigments on a board) and what we want to see (a woman and man on a boat) is presented to us—you cannot truly know anyone, Colville seems to be saying, we are alone, together.

Gallery

Painting by Alex Colville depicting a line of Canadian soldiers in WWII uniforms and helmets. They are walking towards the viewer on a thin strip of land surrounded by water, stretching into the horizon and getting smaller, under a low-hanging sun in a hazy sky.

Infantry, Near Nijmegen, Holland, 1946

Painting by Alex Colville of a nude woman standing by a window in an empty room with blue walls. She is looking back at the torso of a tailor's dummy, also nude, which is large in the frame.

Nude and Dummy, 1950

Painting by Alex Colville of three women undressing on a wharf near blue water, their clothes at their feet.

Three Girls on a Wharf, 1953

Painting by Alex Colville of a black horse, seen from behind, galloping down a train track towards an approaching train.

Horse and Train, 1954

Painting by Alex Colville of a women with shoulder-length grey hair looking straight at the viewer through a pair of binoculars, the opaque lenses blocking her eyes. She is on a boat surrounded by blue water with a man sitting behind her, arms stretched across the bench seat. A lifeboat looms large in the background.

To Prince Edward Island, 1965

Painting by Alex Colville of a nude woman with shoulder-length grey hair sitting in a partially filled bathtub in a stark room with white tiles. Another figure in a navy robe stands behind her, the top half of their body out of frame.

Woman in Bathtub, 1973

Print by Alex Colville of a black cat, seen from behind, standing on a table and batting a triangular ruler hanging off the edge. Before him is a seated dark-skinned man with short hair wearing wire-rimmed glasses. In the background is a wall of windows with wooden frames.

Black Cat, 1996

Painting by Alex Colville of a waving man standing on a highway overpass with a sign reading "West Brooklyn Rd" on the side. Below him is a blue semi-truck driving on a perpendicular road, towards the viewer. The ocean and hills are visible in the distance under a cloudy sky.

West Brooklyn Road, 1996

Painting by Alex Colville of an elderly nude man, wearing only glasses and a watch, holding his hands in front of his private parts and facing the viewer. He is in front of a blank wall with windows visible overhead.

Studio, 2000

Painting by Alex Colville depicting a line of Canadian soldiers in WWII uniforms and helmets. They are walking towards the viewer on a thin strip of land surrounded by water, stretching into the horizon and getting smaller, under a low-hanging sun in a hazy sky.

Infantry, Near Nijmegen, Holland, 1946

Painting by Alex Colville of a nude woman standing by a window in an empty room with blue walls. She is looking back at the torso of a tailor's dummy, also nude, which is large in the frame.

Nude and Dummy, 1950

Painting by Alex Colville of three women undressing on a wharf near blue water, their clothes at their feet.

Three Girls on a Wharf, 1953

Painting by Alex Colville of a black horse, seen from behind, galloping down a train track towards an approaching train.

Horse and Train, 1954

Painting by Alex Colville of a women with shoulder-length grey hair looking straight at the viewer through a pair of binoculars, the opaque lenses blocking her eyes. She is on a boat surrounded by blue water with a man sitting behind her, arms stretched across the bench seat. A lifeboat looms large in the background.

To Prince Edward Island, 1965

Painting by Alex Colville of a nude woman with shoulder-length grey hair sitting in a partially filled bathtub in a stark room with white tiles. Another figure in a navy robe stands behind her, the top half of their body out of frame.

Woman in Bathtub, 1973

Print by Alex Colville of a black cat, seen from behind, standing on a table and batting a triangular ruler hanging off the edge. Before him is a seated dark-skinned man with short hair wearing wire-rimmed glasses. In the background is a wall of windows with wooden frames.

Black Cat, 1996

Painting by Alex Colville of a waving man standing on a highway overpass with a sign reading "West Brooklyn Rd" on the side. Below him is a blue semi-truck driving on a perpendicular road, towards the viewer. The ocean and hills are visible in the distance under a cloudy sky.

West Brooklyn Road, 1996

Painting by Alex Colville of an elderly nude man, wearing only glasses and a watch, holding his hands in front of his private parts and facing the viewer. He is in front of a blank wall with windows visible overhead.

Studio, 2000

To Prince Edward Island - Art Canada