Markle – Final Series

Before Robert Markle passed away as a result of a car accident in July 1990, he created a final series called ‘Table Dancer Series’ which consisted of both mono prints and paintings.

The series showcased Robert’s relationship with the dancer as he placed himself as an observer within each painting.

The paintings on board highlighted the environment of the dancer. Markle would showcase the stage lights, the drinks on the table, and the mood of the club with every piece. The paintings still showed the investigation Robert was fascinated with.

The palette becomes darker, the women have a tough quality to them and the interior shifts into focus.

The mono prints he created were mainly black and white. They also highlighted Robert as an observer as he places a self portrait in every image.

Robert seems to interact more with the dancers and his figure is more predominant in the composition.

Print making was a medium Robert experimented with throughout his career. Robert was also part of the film ‘Priceville Prints’ with fellow artists Otis Tamasauskas and Harold Klunder.

The film was produced by the Durham Art Gallery and showcased the artists creating prints and their techniques. The film won the Silver Apple Award at the 1988 National Educational Film & Video Festival in Oakland, California.

Robert left a strong impression on the Canadian art scene and has continued to influence many artists today. He will always be remembered for his contributions to art and how the female nude is perceived.

His words on how he hoped many would view his work, showcases his dedication to his craft.
“After seeing my work, hopefully you may arrive at some sense of truth or beauty that wasn’t there before. It’s here to celebrate the idea of creativity”.

Stay tuned next week as we start to uncover some interesting facts about Robert Markle in a section called ‘Did You Know?’

Robert Markle – Sculptures

Robert Markle experimented with various mediums to express his fascination of the female form. He explored 3D art making ranging from installations to his infamous whirly gigs and murals.

Robert created whirly gigs to give his dancers a new type of movement. They literally danced in the wind.

These whirly gigs were created from wood and foam core with subjects ranging from Markle as an observer to nude profiled women surrounding each creation. The whirly gigs still pose the thought of the male gaze from a unique perspective.

He was commissioned to create installations for various locations.
The restaurant ‘Markleangelo’s’ was decorated with large installation pieces that were reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel.

Robert felt his images were ‘Angels of the Night’ and adorned the restaurant with neon lights and drawings from wall to ceiling.

Robert also created public installations digging into his native heritage. The piece ‘Mohawk’ installed at the Ontario Government Building and ‘Mohawk: Meeting’ at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre that both represented symbolically Canada’s aboriginal past.

His artistic vision was also lend to create murals for both Owen Sound and Mount Forest in 1986-1987. These images showcased the thriving communities and celebrated what each city was about.

The murals helped showcase the wide range of subject matter Robert could interpret through his unique vision.

The exhibition ‘Blazing Figures’ will have some of Markle’s whirly gigs on display along with maquettes he made for other series and rare ceramic pieces. Robert explored many different perspectives on how to represent the female figure he envisioned. Stay tuned as we explore his final series before his death and see the direction he would have further explored.

Robert Markle – the 80s

Robert Markle’s work began to change in the 1980’s. There was a shift to how he interpreted the female form along with further exploration of mediums. Themes became dominant and Robert would continuously investigate their effects between his relationships with models and artist.

One theme in the 1980’s was Robert’s interpretation of ‘body as landscape’.

Here the female figure is positioned directly across the page simulating the horizon. Different parts of her body seem to make up the sky or water.

Robert also begins to use multiple mediums such as acrylic, charcoal, tempra, inks and pastel and often mixes them together.

A predominant theme in the 1980’s was for Robert to place himself within his paintings and study the models in their environments.

The ‘Artist and his Model’ series investigated his desires of observing and the relationship it created with the models. It can also be argued that he was considering the result of the male gaze.

Robert was also able to give a glimpse of his personal life and with his wife Marlene. The ‘Domesticity’ series showcased his life at home.

Here, there are private moments captured while also highlighting a more relaxed and humorous glimpse of his home and studio. He would also fill his sketchbooks with objects and interiors of his house; the things that represented their style and collections.

The 1980’s gave Robert a chance to further explore his passion and truly investigate every angle of the female form.

Stay tuned next week as we take a look at Robert’s sculptural pieces along with some of the public commissions he created.

Robert Markle – The 1970’s, Exploration and Growth

The 1970’s was a very important time in Robert Markle’s career. Despite the obstacles he had to overcome, it would be a decade full of exploration and growth for the artist.

In 1970, Robert was in a serious motorcycle accident. His arms and hands were badly injured and he was forced to try and rehabilitate them.

The only tool he could use was a shaving brush and the result proved more expressionistic and minimalistic. The brush strokes were looser filled; there were fine layers and sweeping curves. The white of the paper began to hold the composition together. This was the time where Robert had to re-think the movement of his hands and it would create a new perspective of the female form.

Eventually Robert broke out of black and white and colour would dominate most of his work in the 1970’s. He still didn’t have the full use of his hands, but there was progression in the way he used colour to define curves and shadows.

Robert would randomly place colour and started putting the body in different positions. The falling figure series would start his investigation of ‘body as a landscape’ where the long legs of the female would simulate the horizon.

When Robert regained the full use of his hands, a series emerged that would prove to the public he was no longer limited. The highly graphic and detailed drawings of burlesque women were his proof he could draw again after his accident. This style however would never be seen again.

Robert was also influenced by many things that he came across in his readings. In the abstract acrylic on canvas series, he uses the influence of Japanese literature within these works. Even though the figure may not be recognizable, he states there is evidence of form.

Despite the difficult circumstances Robert had to face, he was able to push through and still create work that he was passionate about. He was at the peak of his career in the 70’s with teaching, writing and playing in the Artists’ Jazz Band.

The early investigations of colour and the position of the body would become highly evident in the next decade. Stay tuned next week as we explore the 1980’s where the figure begins to dominate the entire page.

Robert Markle – The 1960’s Controversy

Robert Markle’s work didn’t stray away from controversy. He painted the nude in a direct manner, and some people found his drawings to be ‘lewd’ or ‘offensive’.

In 1965, Dorothy Cameron hosted an exhibition called ‘Eros 65’ that displayed images from various artists. This was raided by the Toronto Police, who removed seven pieces from the show for their alleged obscenity. Robert’s pieces made up the majority of what was confiscated.

Robert Markle was interviewed for “This Hour has Seven Days” to talk about his art in the exhibition. This interview shows how he was quick to defend himself and his art. Markle felt his drawings were sensuous rather than sexual.

The trial for obscenity sparked the debate over censorship in Canada and would force Dorothy Cameron to pay a fine and close her gallery. Before the police seized the drawings, the exhibition received great reviews from historian and journalist Pierre Berton who said the installation marked “a coming age for Toronto”.

Despite the constant scrutiny, Robert described his work as “A Markle picture is, number one, a beautiful object well painted and all that, so the idea doesn’t take importance over the craft. It’s erotic but it’s also a celebration of beauty and it has a figurative quality to it. It’s not blatant or harsh, although there are attitudes in it that are harsh. It’s a vigorous vision. That’s what it is – a vigorous vision”.

The images confiscated were part of the ‘Lovers’ series. The image on this page is from the series titled ‘Lovers-3’.

To learn more, take a look at the video from the CBC archives and listen to Robert Markle’s defense of his work.

Stay tuned … there’s more to come about this ground-breaking Canadian artist.