I’ve had a long love of books, and some of my most prized books are art books. This is a review of books from my collection that can be found on shelves in my studio. I will provide links when possible.
Peter Doig.
Peter Doig is an artist that may not be well known in Canada, but in my opinion should to be considered a Canadian painter. He was born in Scotland in 1959, and in 1962 he and his family moved to Trinidad, and then in 1966 moved to Canada. In 1979 he went to study in London, and in the mid-1980s he lived and worked in Montreal. He was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1994. Doig’s painting White Canoe sold at Sotheby’s in 2007 for $11.3 million, and at the time it was a record for a living European artist. He currently lives in Trinidad.
Phaidon has included him in their contemporary artist series, and it is an interesting and beautiful book with essays by Adrian Searle, Kitty Scott, and Catherine Grenier.
I consider Doig to be a Canadian artist partly because the influence of Canada runs strong in his work. I see Canadian influences in his subject matter and in the way he handles paint. The Canadian painter David Milne and the Group of Seven are obvious influences, and so is the Canadian landscape, both urban and rural. Many of his paintings include snow, and the canoe is a recurring motif.
David Milne.
Peter Doig.
If you are interested in the work of Peter Doig this publication would be a great addition to your library. It’s an in depth record of his work, and influences and has numerous colour illustrations that give a good sense of his use of line, colour and composition.
Painter's Progress 