Arthur Lismer’s “Autumn, Bon Echo”, painted in 1923 and donated to the Mendel gallery in 1965.

After half a century of promoting Canadian and international culture, the Mendel Art Gallery is celebrating its 50th birthday with its exhibition Modern Visions — which is comprised of selections from the gallery’s impressive collection of over 7,000 works.

On display from Sept. 27 to Jan. 4, 2015, Modern Visions is a brilliant combination of paintings, sculptures, photographs and mixed media pieces. The artwork is based around six central themes: “Early Visions,” “Archaeology and Memory,” “A Home on the Prairies,” “Contested Sites,” “Modern Cosmologies” and “The Multiple and Me.”

“Early Visions” showcases pieces from the Mendel’s humble beginnings in 1964. This portion of the exhibit acts as a homage to Canadian and European history and the gallery’s original artistic vision. Many of the works are modest yet breathtaking portraits of landscapes that speak of a simpler time, featuring the talents of iconic artists such as Raoul Dufy, Walter Gramatté, Pablo Picasso, James Henderson and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.

A particularly moving piece that catches the eye when entering the exhibit is Anishinaabe-Canadian artist Rebecca Belmore’s “Blood on the Snow”. All at once stark and startling, this piece is made up of a large feather duvet with a small chair jutting upwards in the center. The top of the fabric covered chair is smeared with red paint. Belmore stated that when creating the piece she imagined “the snow that fell and gently covered the massacre at Wounded Knee.” Though simple in its composition, “Blood on the Snow” is a haunting tribute to the violence that shadows much of North American history.

The second part of the exhibition is “Archaeology and Memory”. This section focuses on the ways in which geography preserves and echoes collective memory and culture. A particularly stand-out piece in this section is Saskatoon-based artist Thelma Pepper’s “Grace At Home”. A series of black and white photos that stretch across an entire wall, Pepper’s work captures moments in time that emit a strongly nostalgic and human feel.

From photographs and paintings, “Archaeology and Memory” dives into a provocative piece by Victor Cicansky titled “The Pink Pantry”. Made up of fired clay, glaze, wood and acrylic, the piece is a shockingly lifelike portrayal of what could be found in most prairie kitchens. A shelf lined with jars of pickles, corn and carrots and stacks of books — including a book on compost which itself appears to be composting — Cicansky’s piece is utterly unique and almost disturbing in its accuracy.

In the third theme of Modern Visions, “A Home on the Prairies,” the Canadian landscape is shown to be both a geographical and psychological place. Tales of struggle and identity are displayed through a series of documentary-style photographs, paintings, sculptures and videos.

One of the most incredible pieces in Modern Visions is Colette Whiten’s “Sculpture #4”. A visually stunning three-part series composed of photographs, a fiberglass and concrete block sculpture and a wood, rope, chain and foam casting device, the work shows the process involved in making a mould of the human body. The viewer’s eye follows the set of photographs to the casting structure itself that show the step-by-step process of creation and the final product — a mold of arms and legs so perfect that you can even see the delicate wrinkling in the elbows and palms.

The fourth section “Contested Sites” provides conversation starters for issues such as the expression of sexuality, mental health and mortality. This poignant theme showcases works depicting human nature and society in a blunt and often unsettling manner. One of the star works in “Contested Sites” is Eric Fischl’s “Floating Islands”. A thought-provoking five-piece set created with aquatint, etching and drypoint on paper, Fischl’s work speaks volumes about sexuality and gender issues in its portrayal of naked human figures outlined with thick strokes of black paint.

“Contested Sites” also features a video titled “Love & Numbers” by Thirza Cuthand that is made up of a spoken word poem recorded over a series of disjointed images and binary codes. The video follows the internal monologue of a two-spirited woman struggling to comprehend love, psychopharmaceuticals and her place in the world.

In Modern Visions’ fifth and perhaps most abstract theme, “Modern Cosmologies” shows that art is an ever-changing creative outlet. This evolutionary section includes works by artists such as Chris Cran, Jack Goldstein, Janet Werner and Paterson Ewen and explores the various adaptations of painting technique in recent years. Goldstein’s piece “Untitled” in particular — a vibrantly coloured acrylic canvas that almost appears to pulsate as the viewer shifts their perspective — shows modern art at its finest.

The final section of Modern Visions, “The Multiple and Me”, is located on the Mendel’s lower level and features printmaking and video from the 1970s to 90s. The section considers these pieces as “harbinger[s] of the social media era” and examinations of popular culture in modern society, including everything from childhood photos to mock advertisements.

As an avid supporter of local, national and global art, the Mendel Gallery is the cornerstone of Saskatoon culture and its 50th anniversary exhibition, Modern Visions, triumphantly showcases this illustrious history. As elegant, provocative and beautiful as it was a half-century ago, the Mendel Gallery remains a staple in the city’s go-to destinations for a classy date spot, a place for quiet pondering, a source of inspiration and an ambassador of imagination and creativity.

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Photo: Supplied by Mendel Art Gallery