Artist leaves rich legacy
Posted By MARG. BRUINEMAN
Updated 7 months ago
John Gould, a renowned painter, filmmaker and musician has passed away.
The long-time area resident and Toronto native was 80 years old.
"He died a happy man," said his wife and long-time companion, Ingi Gould. "He got to be 80, and he had his one-man show in Toronto."
John Gould had been living at Grove Park Home after a series of strokes. Last Sunday, the Goulds had dinner together. He passed away later that night.
Gould had a rich, artistic career and life.
"He did what he wanted, when he wanted and if he wanted," said his wife of a life fulfilled.
(Gould was first married to Hetty Ventura in 1958 and they had two children, Maria and Ellen. His later marriage to Ingi was the second for both.)
The Goulds lived in Toronto where John drew, painted, made films, appeared regularly on CBC, hosted a TVO show on creative writing and wrote.
Toronto's Roberts Gallery, which has represented Gould for the past 42 years, hosted a show of Gould's work this past summer, marking his 80th birthday.
"It was based on his drawings and short films," said Paul Wildridge, the gallery's owner and director.
A television set broadcast a continuous loop of about 30 of Gould's films while the gallery was adorned with many of the drawings in the films and others related to them.
The films chronicle the artist's love of travel. He would be in a Mexican market, in Peru, Japan or Spain where he would draw.
"He produced a lot of on-the-spot drawings and followed that up with studio work based on the drawings," said Wildridge. "The work developed from there on to a lot of character studies."
In 1971, the Goulds left their eclectic Toronto life for the pastoral beauty of of the Georgian Bay shore in Waubaushene. Gould would commute to Toronto to teach part time at the Ontario College of Art, where he had attended many years earlier.
In 1996, John suffered a serious stroke and the following year the Goulds moved to Barrie where he s recovery. Just about every day began with a walk, allowing the Goulds to become familiar with many of their north-end neighbours.
"It was an interesting progression after his health problem because he was starting from scratch, basically, as an artist," said Wildridge. "He basically taught himself how to draw again."
The stroke stripped the artist of the ability to read and write and draw. He still had to desire to express himself through art and worked at it daily.
But he never lost the ability to play music.
During the opening of his 2003 show at the Maclaren Art Centre, showing much of his post-stroke work, John played the saxophone with his group.
"I was impressed by his enthusiasm and infectiousness," said curator Sandra Fraser, who has had a connection with the Barrie art centre since the late-1990s. "The drawings he was doing at the time were beautiful.
"It was figurative work, more from his imagination in the later period."
John Goulds' work exists in many collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Maclaren Art Centre. Private collectors, such as Alan King, Marcel Marceau, Robert Goulet and J.D. Eaton, have some of his work, as well.
"Alex Trebek was an old friend of John's from their days at CBC together," said Wildridge. "He has one of the more substantial collections of John's work at his home in California."
"He has been my focus in life," said Ingi. "We did it and we did it good."
The Goulds had a deep connection with the Maclaren Art Centre, where Ingi continues to volunteer.
Instead of a service, she has decided to celebrate John's life with a special ceremony at the Maclaren next fall. There and then, without tears, they expect to do it and do it good.
Gould included an album in his body of work --Good Tuneswas produced in 1985 and in it he played the saxophone. He also wrote two biographical books --The Drawn Image 1959 to 1979andJohn Gould Journalsin 1996.
This passage appears in the introduction of his journals: "I formed an appreciation for that fine draughtsman, Hokusai, and learned why he signed his works: Old Man Crazy About Drawing."
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About John Gould
1929 -born in Toronto
1948 to 1952 --Ontario College of Art and Design 1953 -Academie de Julien, Paris
1973 -Named to Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Books:The Drawn Image -1959 to 1979, John Gould Journals (1996) Music:Good Tunes (1985)
Represented by the Roberts Gallery since 1966 -exhibited since 56. Listed in Canada's Who's Who
Children:Maria, Melissa and Ellen, and three grandchildren
