Painted Flag features one of Charles Pachter’s recognizable subjects. Upon raising a flagpole at his Oro farm, he was delighted by the Canadian flag’s unlimited variety of form, its dynamic movement and creation of shadows. Pachter recounts his objective to make the flag “look dramatic under the influence of wind and light.” The painting highlights Pachter’s command of light and form, illuminating a striking contrast between the vibrant red flag and the solid blue background. Pachter first exhibited his iconic flag paintings in 1981 on Toronto’s Queen Street West, and then in 1985 to 1986 at Toronto’s Ontario Science Centre.

Depicted billowing in the wind, Pachter elevates the Canadian flag as the symbol of a country, nation and place to something dynamic, theatrical and grand. Pachter places the Canadian identity at the centre of his artistic investigation and, as asserted by literary critic David Staines, “compels us to reconsider these familiar signposts in our collective memory.” The undulating flag is a signature emblem that encapsulates Pachter’s investigation of, and devotion to, the Canadian identity.