So Long...
Alex Janvier and Bill Viola
We lost two wonderful and innovative artists this month: Alex Janvier (b. 1935) on July 10 and Bill Viola (b. 1951) on July 12. Many years ago, I had the privilege of working with both artists.
Alex Janvier was a Denesuline artist from Cold Lake First Nation in northern Alberta. He was one of Canada’s most celebrated Indigenous artists. His entry into the world of art began with a mentorship with an art professor at the University of Alberta in the early 1950s. He then study at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary (now the Alberta University of the Arts) where he graduated in 1960. He was the only Indigenous student and had to work hard to prove himself. By the early 1970s, Janvier was gaining recognition across Canada and internationally for his large abstract paintings and murals that melded the lessons of abstract expressionism with his unique rendering of nature and Denesuline iconography. Janvier’s success in an art world so far removed from his origins demonstrates how artists can emerge from anywhere, and how determination and courage can propel an artist forward.
Bill Viola was another extraordinary artist. In high school he was introduced to an early version of a video camera and from that moment on video became his life-long medium. Art studies at Syracuse University followed and there he was introduced to some of the early pioneers of video art including Jack Nelson, Peter Campus and Nam June Paik. Viola then went on to adapt and develop his distinctive approach, combining video and sound in large immersive installations. His methods were soon adopted by other artists and have now become ubiquitous in contemporary art practice. Working with his wife and collaborator, Kira Perov, Viola created some of the most profound video works about our existential experience of birth, life, and death.
So long Alex and Bill!