Berczy's Conversation Piece Absolutely Unique

William Berczy,  The Woolsey Family, 1809

William Berczy’s The Woolsey Family (1809) is undoubtedly on of his, nay, Canada’s masterpieces.  Despite the portrait’s many exceptional qualities, it is a work that has not received a great deal of in-depth academic attention. A re-examination of the portraits produced during Canada’s pre-Confederation history reveals, however, that Berczy’s work may be the only example of a family conversation piece; an elevation in status that ought to be recognised more broadly within Canadian history texts.

What is a conversation piece? “Conversation piece” is a mid-eighteen century term, still in use, to describe a portrait painting of small to moderate size showing two or more identifiable full-length figures engaged in informal conversation or other polite social activity, often in a detailed domestic, although sometimes in a landscape setting. Does the Woolsey Family portrait fit this definition? Perfectly.

Cornelius Krieghoff, Breaking Lent (detail), c. 1850s

There are other Canadian works that would appear to fit this classification, but because they lack one or more of the components of the definition they cannot be included. We must move forward to Cornelius Krieghoff in the 1850s and 1860s to find works that even come close. Breaking Lent appears to be a conversation piece, but because none of these figures are identifiable, and the home is likely a figment of the artist’s imagination, the work can only be considered a genre piece.

Cornelius Krieghoff, Flirting While Braiding Straw Hats, 1862

Another Krieghoff example, Flirting While Braiding Straw Hats shows a similar French Canadian family in their kitchen. This time, one of the individuals may be identified – the mother is speculated to be Krieghoff’s sister Emily. But because she is portrayed as a character rather than herself, and the remaining figures and setting are of the artist’s imagination, the work cannot be considered a conversation piece.

Read more about Berczy: National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Dictionary of Biography Online

Introducing CAHW

Look for something new each week (Mondays) as I post artist profiles, images, and institution highlights, as well as hints and tricks that will better enable you to understand and enjoy Canadian art.

The visual arts can be a window to our nation's past, and I will strive to fill in some of the information blanks to make historical works make sense. Oftentimes this information allows you to look at a painting with more emotion, and your attachment to it and its story becomes stronger. The opposite can be said for some contemporary works, where your emotions are immediately played upon by the evidence of brush strokes and use of colour, and only later does information show the piece to be far more technical and planned than earlier suspected.

In addition to posting topics inspired by my own experiences, I look forward to hopefully answering your questions about Canadian art. As well, if you've had an amazing experience with a work, or have had a visit to remember in one of Canada's many galleries, I'd love to pass on your story and pictures with my readers.

The first official post begins on Monday August 15, 2011 - Enjoy!