Humber Art Gallery

University of Guelph

205 Humber College Blvd. Toronto, ON

Nov. 21 – Dec. 1, 2006.

Featuring selected paintings from 1993 – 2000 by artist Carol Barbour, the exhibition highlights a body of work that focuses upon the human character of structure. Items in Whimsical Architecture include: a limestone kiln, an amphitheatre, a hoodoo landscape, underground dwellings, towers, dovecotes and cityscapes.

Artist’s Statement

Architecture is a subject that points to the relationship between humanity, matter and space. The paintings in this exhibition range from hand hewn examples to composite cityscapes. Some are loyal to the original sites, while others are clearly interpretations; more associative than descriptive. In this body of work, I was interested in the relationship between handmade structures and elemental shapes, particularly those forms that corresponded to human physiology. Architectural remains are testaments to human existence; the designs embody the struggle and the resilience, the tenacity as well as the ingenuity that is required to endure time and weather. Initially I began looking at limestone kilns, which can be found on the Bruce Trail. Research led to the study of the Roman theatre, a concentric shape that was built to amplify and resonate sound. Amphitheatres are reminiscent of the circular forms found in the body such as the ribcage, jaw and ear. From the theatres, I went on to explore towers and dovecotes, which again resembled the human form, in particular, the upright silhouette of the human figure complete with eye-like windows and a columnar trunk. Following the towers, I became interested in sanctuaries and troglodytic communities. Underground (troglodyte) dwellings protected the inhabitants from enemy invasion, religious persecution and extreme weather conditions. Similarly, the outer walls and chambers of these cellular forms functioned in much the same way as the outer layer of skin on the human body, as a protection.

These paintings are personal images that honour the dynamic, movement of life, its pulse and spirit. Clearly architecture is not a living organism; however, the people who created and inhabited the buildings have left a human imprint, a stain of their presence. The history of architecture is a chronicle of cultural change; whether a building is in ruin, restored, or newly erected, it is a record of a specific time and place. A building that survives both time and social change is testament to the creators’ skill and vision, providing as it does a continuation beyond the specific conditions in which it was built. The human self is not separate from nature, but composed of similar elements and subject to the same forces of erosion, gravity and magnetism that stretch, sculpt and transform matter in space. In time, identity is constructed and adapted with subtle permutations in response to these changes, yet, what ultimately remains is the core, an essential shape that is original, tenacious and irreducible.

Carol Barbour, 2006.

Paintings in exhibition.
Sizes are in cm. Medium is oil on canvas unless otherwise noted.

1) Limestone Kiln. 129 x 127 cm, 1993.
2) Hoodoos, Alberta. 101 x 91 cm, 1996.
3) Amphitheatre, Fiesole, Italy. 61 x 76 cm, 1996.
4) Cliff Dwellings. 61 x 122 cm, 1997.
5) Spiral Minaret. 51 x 91 cm, 1997.
6) French Dovecote. 101 x 76 cm, 1996.
7) Tower of Babel. 91 x 122 cm, 1996.
8) Vincent’s Dovecote. 101 x 76 cm, 1996.
9) Matera, Basilicata. 91 x 122, 2000.
10) Quebec City: Opera Gates. 86 x 140 cm, 2000.
11) University College. 76 x 91 cm, 2000.
12) Princes’ Gates, CNE. 91 x 122, 2000.

14) Tower of Lost Angels. Oil on linen, 91 x 61, 1996.
15) Crenellated Tower. 91 x 61, 1994.
16) Tower Bridge. 91 x 101, 1995.
17) Russian Poet Towers. 152 x 91, 1995.

18) Baroque Facade. 91 x 76, 1999.