Sold for: $18,750

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the Artist, 1966
By descent within the family to a Private Collection, Edmonton
Acquired from the above by The Downstairs Gallery, Edmonton (The Art Mart Ltd., Edmonton)
Acquired from the above by a Private Collection, Edmonton, 1983
By descent within the family to the present Private Collection, Alberta

LITERATURE
Ramsay Cook, “William Kurelek: A Prairie Boy’s Visions,” William Kurelek Memorial Lectures 1978, reprinted from the Journal of Ukrainian Studies, vol. 5, no., 1, 1980, page 44

EXHIBITED
Westdale United Church, Hamilton, Ontario, March - April, 1966

Before returning to Toronto in the late 1950s and joining the Isaacs Gallery as a represented artist and fine art framer, William Kurelek spent the later part of his 20s in London, England, a period that would become key to his emotional and artistic renaissance. While in Great Britain, he focused on the resolution of his mental health crisis and later found comfort by converting to Roman Catholicism.

In this painting, Kurelek offers a critical view of a well-known Christian festival, revealing his then strengthened cultural principles. In his lecture “William Kurelek: A Prairie Boy’s Visions,” Ramsay Cook describes Kurelek’s didactic paintings as follows:

[In his] explicitly religious paintings, he wanted to restate the Christian gospel in contemporary terms. His intention was not … to use his paintings to convert others. He was too sound a theologian for that.… “Paintings could only be “teaching aids.” But to teach meant to make the message immediate.

The first known public exhibition of Our High Standard of Living… was at the Westdale United Church in Hamilton, Ontario, where it was displayed during March and April 1966.

On the recto of the work is a handpainted note by Kurelek: "Hope Christmas is full of goodies and full of good wishes too, with a lot of nice surprises to bring lots of fun to you"

On the verso of the work is a typewritten note by Kurelek: "This painting was inspired by an impassioned poem by a Jesuit missionary who returned from India a few years ago and saw how corrupt Christmas had become in our affluent North American society. Because of the discrepancy between our self-indulgence and the unfulfilled human needs in underdeveloped countries, he titled his poem after Pope John's encycical 'Pacem in Terris', which deals with basic human rights. The best I can do is quote a verse or two from it:

Merry Christmas!

I see children tearing paper off toys—

one and two and three and four.

They stop and whine: 'Aren’t there any more?'

Oh yes, five and six—and up to ten.

And when you’ve finished start over again!"

This work is in the original frame made by Kurelek.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.