MacArthur, Eileen
In my recent work I incorporate references to seminal works from art history. These references are often overt, and sometimes subtle. In Kelly, The tilt of the head and open pose is an allusion to the female bar attendant in Edouard Manet’s The Bar at the Folies-Bergeres. In Manet’s painting there are two portraits of the same female subject. The first looks out of the painting at the viewer, and the second is her reflection in a mirror. The dual portrait allows the subject to appear at the same time both engaged and disinterested. In Kelly I endeavoured to represent this duality in a single subject. Her expression is one of being lost in thought as she looks out of the painting and past the viewer. It is not clear what she is feeling and it is difficult to discern if she is about to smile or frown. Kelly is at the end of her shift at a pub and she appears tired and drained. She has an expression on her face that is not satisfied or resigned, not engaged or dismissive, not interested or bored. Kelly’s expression seems to accept the banal and expect the unremarkable.
EDUCATION:
2005
MFA University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
2003
BFA Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, NS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2005
Eileen MacArthur, Propeller Centre for the Arts, Toronto, ON
2005
Pieces Missing. MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, ON
2003
Paintings, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, NS
GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2011
2009 Biennial
Some Kind of Wonderful, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, ON
2008
Transactions: 11 Canadian Artists, Chongqing Art Museum (Sichuan Fine Arts Institute), China
AWARDS:
2005
University of Guelph Access Bursary
2003
Board of Graduate Studies Research Scholarship, Guelph, Ontario
2002
Endowment Fund Scholarship, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
EMPLOYMENT:
2008-2011
Studio Instructor – Elora Centre for the Arts, Elora, ON
2007-2011
Collections Management Assistant – MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph
2006-2011
Studio Instructor – Guelph School of Art, Guelph, ON
OTHER INFORMATION:
2009
Special Mention, Kingston Prize for Canadian Portraiture