PROVENANCE
Galerie D'Art Michael Kerdour, Quebec City
Private Collection, Montreal
Galerie Heffel Québec Ltée.
Corporate Collection, Vancouver

William Kurelek was raised on farms in Alberta and Manitoba, and is renowned for his depictions of rural life. He was deeply interested in the relationship between the land and its people, documenting their daily activities in a critical, yet playful manner. In this particularly charming scene in Saint-Tite-des-Caps, Quebec, many hands are helping in the turkey plucking process. There is a strong sense of the season changing to autumn, with the tree canopy beginning to darken into deeper hues of orange and yellow. The wood is already chopped, stored and ready for use over the winter. The turkey plucking process is obviously seasonal, and the systematic actions of the figures indicate that it is a procedure they are familiar with. Habitants of all ages are involved in the ritual, ranging from the children playfully chasing and capturing the turkeys to the more senior members steadily plucking off the feathers. The figures are hard at work, heads down and engaged in the conveyor line while the cat and dog attentively observe the process. Kurelek himself had a dedicated work ethic from his long days spent on the family farm, often only getting a single afternoon off a week. It is well documented that Kurelek had a challenging upbringing, and his memories of farm life were both emotional and joyous. Dark clouds ominously reappear throughout Kurelek’s oeuvre, indicating that even in this scene filled with peaceful activity, a storm is always looming, which metaphorically ties to the artist’s challenges with his own mental health. Rich in detail, colour and narrative, this work is an excellent example of Kurelek’s sought after depictions of human and animal nature.

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