The Royal Coachman

Provenance:
Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:
Sloggett, Paul. Virginia Christopher Fine Art. URL: http://www.virginiachristopherfineart.com/artists/paul_sloggett/paul_sloggett.html.
Notes:
Paul Sloggett graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1973. His remarkable geometric abstractions were first exhibited at Hart House, at the University of Toronto in 1971. Since then, he has enjoyed a long and prestigious exhibition history which includes a number of successful shows, such as a 1977 exhibition where his work was exhibited alongside Jack Bush, K.M. Graham, Charles Gagnon, David Bolduc and Jean Paul Lemieux at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, D.C).

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In The Royal Coachman (1975), Sloggett’s distinct style inspired by Russian constructivism, architectural design, and colour theory dominates the canvas through the simple juxtaposition of texture and geometry. Here, like much of his work, he examines the ongoing pursuit of abstraction, an aesthetic which he believes to be far from over. Commenting on his own practice he says, “The pursuit of pure abstraction as an art form is roughly 100 years old and contrary to what the cultural morticians tell, is it seems quite doubtful that artists could have exhausted infinite possibility in this seemingly brief period of time.”

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His work has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in China, Germany, Italy and the United States, and is included in numerous collections, including the Art Gallery of Alberta; the Art Gallery of Hamilton (Ontario); and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Ontario). His work was also included in Dr. Roald Nasgaard’s definitive text on Canadian Abstraction, “Abstract Painting in Canada”. He has been the recipient of several Canadian & Ontario Arts Council grants and awards, and is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.