Paraskeva Clark: A Russian Émigré’s Eye on Canada

When Paraskeva Clark (1898–1986) arrived in Toronto in 1931, the local art scene was ready for a change. The dominant wilderness landscape idiom, rooted in nationalist ideology, was no longer adequate to express the social and political turmoil that would unfold over the next two decades. Clark’s socialist leanings equipped her to be a passionate spokesperson for socially engaged art. Her life and art reveal the challenges, frustrations, and successes of a Russian-born woman in a city whose dominant culture was British. For more on Paraskeva Clark read Christine Boyanoski’s Paraskeva Clark: Life & Work.

Dr. Christine Boyanoski, a curator and art historian, has written extensively on Canadian art. With a longstanding interest in cross-cultural art practice, she has published studies of Canadian art in a North American context. Art and exile, as exemplified by Paraskeva Clark, is one aspect of her work.