welcome to our
SATURDAY EVENING POST
October 14th, 2023
In support of Arts Umbrella, we have donated a beautiful painting by Joseph Kyle to the Splash Art Auction to be featured in the Live Auction. This Joseph Kyle painting is titled Epiphany Series II, Acrylic on canvas, 1995, 60 x 42 inches.
Arts Umbrella is a non-profit centre for arts education, empowers young artists ages 2-22 to cultivate their creativity and enrich their lives through art. The proceeds from this auction will benefit young people across Metro Vancouver in the visual and performing arts. We hope you will actively participate in this auction to support this noble cause and enjoy the opportunity to view this significant Joseph Kyle's painting and other remarkable works at the Pendulum Gallery, 885 West Georgia St, Vancouver. Your contribution will make a meaningful difference in the lives of young artists, enhancing their self-confidence, self-discipline, and creative expression—qualities they will carry with them for life.
Joseph Kyle's Epiphany Series holds a special place in his artistic journey, reflecting the profound spiritual revelations he channeled through his work. In this pivotal series, Kyle ventured beyond the confines of abstraction and delved into the sublime. Each painting in the Epiphany Series captures a moment of sudden insight and profound realisation, mirroring the essence of the word itself. With intricate composition and a vibrant interplay of colours, Kyle invites viewers to experience the inner workings of his spiritual exploration, providing a portal to the transcendental.
For Paul Kyle, Joseph's son, these paintings represent not just a legacy but a deep connection to his father's spiritual odyssey. The Epiphany Series signifies the culmination of Joseph Kyle's life's work, a visual embodiment of his profound understanding of the human experience. It serves as a wellspring of inspiration and a lasting bond, uniting father and son through their shared passion and quest for inner truth. These paintings are more than significant artworks; they are a spiritual inheritance that continues to enrich and inspire those fortunate enough to encounter them, ensuring Joseph Kyle's memory and artistic contributions endure for generations.
ABOVE IMAGES:
Paul Laroque and Coleen Nemtin in front of a work from the Epiphany Series during Joseph Kyle’s exhibition The Soul of an Artist
Paul Kyle with an Epiphany pair installed in the lobby of the Cadillac Fairview building at 725 Granville Street, Vancouver
About Joseph Kyle
Joseph Kyle was born February 24, 1923 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1930. Joseph Kyle moved to Saskatchewan, where he lived throughout the depression, before joining the navy and relocating to Vancouver a decade later. After four years of naval service, Kyle moved to Montreal in order to study music composition at McGill University. There, Kyle worked under the guidance of Violet Archer, Larry Summers and Robert Turner. Turner became a lifelong friend and influence.
Eventually Kyle returned to Vancouver; and in the mid-1960s, worked as a producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. During that time he travelled to Japan to fifilm a documentary series with Alan Watts. Shortly thereafter, Kyle became a member of the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University.
Since the 1960’s, Joseph Kyle became a major influence on the West Coast art scene in Canada and in collaboration with Victor Doray and Jack Shadbolt, pioneered the Intermedia Society: an avant-garde learning facility that encouraged experimental, interdisciplinary art practices. Kyle was director of Intermedia from its inception until 1970. In 1973 he moved to Victoria, B.C., where he founded the Victoria College of Art and served as principal for 25 years, while also maintaining his own art practice. Kyle painted steadily for 30 years, citing music as his primary source of inspiration and as a means of accessing an altered state of consciousness.
Throughout his career as a painter, Kyle was influenced greatly by the Westcoast art scene of the 1960s. His background in contemporary classical music composition was also a key inspiration in how he approached painting, and, although some might categorize his work as geometric colour-fifield abstraction, Kyle rejected this term, instead favorin “Synoptics” – a description he originated and felt best represented his work. “Synoptics”, unique in concept, is Joseph Kyle’s contribution to abstract art. Similar to the word “symphony,” a coming together of sound and form, “Synoptics” is a harmony and coming together of visual elements. Optics, usually describing the behaviour of light, becomes the condition in which elements within a painting come to reveal their true beauty. Synoptics, therefore, unlike Op-Art, elevates the language of visual elements, such as colour and composition. Synoptics transcends an immediate visual confusion and excitement, where in Op-Art, the exploration of optical sensations is through the employment of rhythmic abstract patterns that repeat, or vibrating colour combinations, and through the composition of contrast of foreground and background to create motion and depth. Synoptics allows lines, colours, and composition to work in exact harmony, and the result of that is a continued vigour and innovativeness, with no need for historical or contemporary reference, a language that is perpetually irreferential, ageless, and enduring. With Synoptics, Kyle moved into new and original territory.
In 1999, the Canadian Cultural Review Board designated Joseph Kyle’s paintings as having “outstanding significance and national importance”. Exhibition The Soul of an Artist at the gallery is Joseph Kyle’s first major exhibition in 20 years, and the opening coincided with what would have been his 100th birthday. Though public exhibitions of his work are rare, Kyle’s works have been included in a number of important private, corporate, and public collections.
REMEMBERING OUR FRIEND
MICHAEL O’BRIAN
Photo credit: Karina Hjort Petersen
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Michael O'Brian, an extraordinary philanthropist and a radiant force of positivity. Michael left us on Friday, October 6, surrounded by his beloved family, including his wife Inna and six children: Travis, Meghan, Paisley, Shannen, Chelsea, and Michella. His boundless energy, his radiant spirit, and his unwavering dedication to the arts have left an indelible mark on the communities he touched.
A native of Penticton, Michael O'Brian was not only a passionate art collector and music enthusiast but also an unparalleled champion of the arts. His legacy is defined by his unwavering support, both financial and personal, for numerous arts and educational organizations. He generously contributed to institutions such as the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Opera, the Museum of Anthropology, and the National Art Gallery of Canada. His impact at Emily Carr University is immeasurable, with lasting contributions, fellowships, and the iconic Michael O'Brian Exhibition Commons. His passion for nature, sports, music, and art has left an indelible impression on those around him. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, he received an honorary Doctorate from Emily Carr University and was appointed as a member to the Order of Canada in 2019.