ARCA OC OSA
1927 - 1977
Canadian
Heart of Light: Charismatics in Laval
mixed media on board
initialed and dated 1975 and on verso titled and dated on the gallery label and inscribed "#11" and (crossed out) "Charismatic Prayer Group, Montreal"
10 x 16 in, 25.4 x 40.6 cm
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
Sold for: $37,250
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
Marlborough-Godard, Toronto
Private Collection, Montreal
The Charismatic Movement of the Catholic Church was part of an international trend towards increased Pentecostalism within many Christian groups in the middle of the twentieth century in Canada. This movement allowed groups of believers to come together and share their spiritual experiences as a community of equals. Prayer ceremonies, healing ceremonies and gatherings to receive the Holy Spirit—sometimes evidenced by speaking in tongues—were becoming increasingly mainstream, as we see in this depiction of a group in Laval, Quebec. The worshippers stand in a circle with raised, clasped hands, with a man in a white suit at the centre of the group. He contrasts smartly with the priest in black and seems to be the focus of the ceremony. Joy is evident on the faces of the participants; they might be singing, as one person plays the guitar, chanting, or experiencing glossolalia—we cannot be sure—but what is certain is that William Kurelek is expressing, through this scene, the happiness his own religious conversion brought him.
This work is in the original frame made by Kurelek.
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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