Kenneth Campbell Lochhead (1926–2006) stands as a pivotal figure in the landscape of Canadian art, particularly celebrated for his contributions to abstract painting and his influential role as an educator. His career, spanning several decades, saw him at the forefront of artistic innovation in Canada, especially during the mid-20th century. Lochhead was not only a prolific artist whose work evolved through distinct phases but also a charismatic teacher and organizer who helped shape a generation of artists and bring international artistic currents to the Canadian Prairies. His legacy is marked by vibrant color-field paintings, a commitment to modernist principles, and a profound impact on the institutional development of art in Canada.
Early Life and Artistic Formation
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1926, Kenneth Lochhead's artistic inclinations emerged early. His formal art education began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, a prestigious institution where he studied from 1945 to 1949. This period provided him with a strong foundation in traditional techniques. Perhaps more significantly for his later development, he also attended the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania, during 1946-1948. Albert C. Barnes, a renowned collector and educator, emphasized a formalist approach to art, encouraging students to analyze artworks based on their visual elements—line, color, light, and space—rather than solely on historical or narrative content. This analytical perspective would deeply inform Lochhead's own artistic practice and his future teaching methodologies.
The post-war era was a time of immense artistic ferment. Abstract Expressionism was ascendant in New York, with artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko challenging conventional notions of painting. While Lochhead was absorbing these influences, he was also developing his unique voice, one that would eventually find its full expression in the expansive landscapes and burgeoning art scene of Western Canada.
The Regina Years: A New Frontier for Art
In 1950, a significant chapter in Lochhead's life and Canadian art history began when he was appointed Director of the School of Art at Regina College, then part of the University of Saskatchewan (it would later become the University of Regina). At just 24, he brought youthful energy and a modernist vision to a region somewhat removed from the established art centers of Toronto and Montreal. The Prairie landscape, with its vast skies and open spaces, seemed to offer a different kind of canvas, both literally and metaphorically, for artistic exploration.
Lochhead was instrumental in transforming Regina into an unexpectedly vibrant hub for contemporary art. He understood the importance of connecting local artists with broader, international developments. He fostered an environment of experimentation and critical discourse, attracting other like-minded artists and educators to Regina. Among them was Arthur McKay, whom Lochhead hired in 1952, and who would become a close collaborator. Together, they and other artists began to explore new avenues in abstraction, drawing inspiration from international trends but also responding to their unique environment.
The Emma Lake Artists' Workshops: A Crucible of Innovation
One of Lochhead's most enduring contributions was the co-founding, with Arthur McKay, of the Emma Lake Artists' Workshops in 1955. Located in a remote, natural setting in northern Saskatchewan, these summer workshops were conceived as intensive, retreat-like sessions where professional artists could work, exchange ideas, and, crucially, interact with leading figures from the international art world. This initiative was groundbreaking for its time in Canada.
The workshops brought a succession of influential artists and critics to the Canadian Prairies, creating an extraordinary conduit for new ideas. The impact of these visitors was profound. Barnett Newman, the iconic American Abstract Expressionist, led a workshop in 1959. His emphasis on the sublime, the power of large-scale color, and the "zip" had a galvanizing effect on Lochhead and his peers. Newman's presence helped to validate their own explorations into non-representational art and encouraged a bolder, more ambitious scale.
Clement Greenberg, the highly influential American art critic and champion of Abstract Expressionism and later Post-Painterly Abstraction, visited Emma Lake multiple times, starting in 1962. Greenberg's theories, which emphasized flatness, opticality, and the inherent properties of the medium, provided a strong theoretical framework for the artists. His critiques and discussions were instrumental in shaping the direction of abstract painting in Regina. Other notable workshop leaders included painters Jules Olitski, Frank Stella, and Kenneth Noland, sculptor Donald Judd, and even composer John Cage and artist Michael Snow, highlighting the interdisciplinary spirit that sometimes characterized the workshops. These encounters were transformative, pushing Lochhead and others to refine their abstract language.
Lochhead's Artistic Evolution: Color Field and Post-Painterly Abstraction
Influenced by these interactions and his own ongoing experimentation, Lochhead became a leading exponent of Color Field painting and Post-Painterly Abstraction in Canada. His works from the late 1950s and 1960s are characterized by large expanses of flat, unmodulated color, often with hard-edged geometric forms or flowing, organic shapes. He explored the optical effects of color, how different hues interact, and how they can create sensations of space and light.
A seminal work from this period is Pink Bay 1963. This painting, with its expansive fields of vibrant color and dynamic yet controlled composition, exemplifies the principles of Post-Painterly Abstraction that Greenberg advocated. It was recognized as such when it was included in Greenberg's influential exhibition "Post-Painterly Abstraction" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1964, an exhibition that also featured American artists like Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, and Kenneth Noland, as well as fellow Canadians Jack Bush and William Perehudoff. This inclusion signaled Lochhead's prominence within this international movement.
Another significant work, the lithograph Blue Extension (1963), demonstrates his mastery of color and composition in the print medium. It showcases his ability to create a sense of depth and movement through the careful arrangement of color planes. His paintings often featured bold, sometimes surprising color combinations, reflecting a sophisticated understanding of color theory and an intuitive feel for its emotive power. Works like The Dignitary (1963) and Dark Green Centre (1962) further illustrate his commitment to a non-objective art that communicated directly through visual sensation.
The Regina Five: A Collective Force
Lochhead was a key member of the "Regina Five," a group of abstract painters based in Regina who gained national and international recognition in the early 1960s. The group, which also included Arthur McKay, Ronald Bloore, Ted Godwin, and Douglas Morton, shared a commitment to modernist abstraction, though each maintained a distinct artistic style. Their work was showcased in the National Gallery of Canada's 1961 exhibition "Five Painters from Regina," which brought them widespread attention.
The Regina Five collectively challenged the dominance of Toronto and Montreal as Canada's primary art centers. They demonstrated that significant, cutting-edge art could emerge from the Prairies. Lochhead's role within this group was multifaceted; he was not only a leading artistic voice but also an organizer and advocate, helping to create the conditions under which such a vibrant art scene could flourish. Their collective success helped to put Western Canadian art on the map and inspired a new generation of artists in the region. The group's engagement with international figures like Greenberg and Newman, largely facilitated through the Emma Lake Workshops, was crucial to their development and recognition.
Later Career: New Directions and Figurative Explorations
While Lochhead is perhaps best known for his abstract work of the 1960s, his artistic practice continued to evolve. In the 1970s, after moving from Regina to teach at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg (1964-1973) and then the University of Ottawa (1975-1989), his work began to incorporate figurative elements, though often still infused with the abstract sensibilities he had honed over decades.
He became interested in exploring "ideas, impressions, dynamics, and motion" through the human form. This later phase saw him create series of paintings inspired by diverse subjects, including athletes. For instance, he produced a series of works based on the movements and energy of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team, capturing the dynamism of the players in a style that blended figuration with his characteristic bold use of color and energetic brushwork. This shift did not represent an abandonment of his earlier concerns but rather an expansion of his artistic vocabulary, a new way to explore form, color, and movement.
Public Art and Educational Contributions
Beyond his studio practice and teaching, Lochhead also engaged with public art. He created colorful banners for the Pan Am Pool in Winnipeg for the 1967 Pan American Games, a project that brought his abstract designs into a highly visible public space. He also designed a striped textile installation for the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba, demonstrating his versatility across different media and contexts.
His contributions as an educator were profound and far-reaching. After his foundational role at Regina College, he continued to influence students as a professor at the University of Manitoba and later at the University of Ottawa, where he served as Chair of the Department of Visual Arts. His commitment to art education extended beyond the classroom; through initiatives like the Emma Lake Workshops, he helped to shape the very infrastructure of art education and professional development in Canada. He inspired countless students, many of whom went on to become significant artists and educators themselves. His approach often encouraged students to find their own voices, much as he had found his.
Legacy and Enduring Influence
Kenneth Lochhead passed away in Ottawa in 2006, leaving behind a rich and complex artistic legacy. He is remembered as one of Canada's most important abstract painters, a key figure in the development of modernism in the country, and a transformative educator. His work is held in numerous prestigious public and private collections across Canada, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, which holds a significant collection of works by the Regina Five.
His influence extends beyond his own artworks. The Emma Lake Artists' Workshops, which he co-founded, continued for many years, remaining an important site for artistic exchange and development. The vibrancy of the Regina art scene in the 1950s and 60s, which he was so instrumental in fostering, had a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Western Canada. He played a crucial role in decentralizing Canadian art, proving that innovation could thrive outside of traditional centers.
Artists like Jean-Paul Riopelle, another Canadian abstract painter of international renown, though working primarily in a different abstract idiom (Automatiste and later Lyrical Abstraction), represent the broader context of Canadian artists seeking international dialogue in the post-war years. Lochhead's generation, including peers like Jack Bush, William Perehudoff, and the other members of the Regina Five, collectively forged a distinctive Canadian modernism, one that was informed by international trends but also rooted in local contexts and individual visions.
Conclusion: A Modernist Visionary
Kenneth Lochhead's career was characterized by a restless artistic curiosity, a deep engagement with the formal properties of painting, and a passionate commitment to art education. From his early explorations in abstraction to his leadership at Emma Lake and his later figurative work, he consistently sought to push the boundaries of his own practice and to foster a dynamic artistic environment in Canada. His vibrant color-field paintings remain powerful testaments to his artistic vision, while his contributions as an educator and cultural catalyst have left an indelible mark on Canadian art history. He remains a figure whose work and life continue to inspire, demonstrating the profound impact an individual can have on the artistic development of a nation. His journey reflects a dedication to the principles of modernism, adapted and reinterpreted through a uniquely Canadian lens.
