Marian Dale Scott
Pioneer of Modern Painting in Canada
Marian Dale Scott: Pioneer of Modernism
The Canadian art scene, during the decades of the ‘20s and ‘30s, was dominated
by the powerful nationalism of the Group of Seven. The emergence of a distinctly
Canadian style of painting was highly significant to say the least. Yet, as the Depression and other global events brought the world closer to the brink of war, many
young artists in Montreal felt a disconnect. With a desire to create art which reflected the reality of daily existance, they began to investigate the aesthetic modernism which was emerging in Europe and the United States.
A passionate painter, keen to experiment and explore, Marian Dale Scott identified with those who did not wish to be constrained by conventional academism.
At the forefront of a movement which saw artistic creation as an adventure, she
numbered among the group which included colleagues and friends, Fritz Brandtner, John Lyman, Jori Smith, as well as Paul-Emil Borduas, Stanley Cosgrove who
formed the Contemporary Arts Society in January of 1939. The purpose of this
organization was to promote a public awareness of modern art and to foster the
development of a progressive art which was “alive to contemporary life”. Though
most of the founders were Anglophone, there was much interest in the group’s
activities among Francophone art critics. By 1943, the group had expanded to
include the most innovative of Montreal’s Francophone artists, including, Alfred
Pellan, Fernand Leduc and Jean-Paul Riopelle.
A prolific painter, art educator, and active member of the Contemporary Arts Society, Marian Dale Scott was part of this early movement which took modern art
beyond nationalist boundaries and brought recognition of Canadian modernism on
the world stage.
Untitled abstract composition
in blue and brown
c. 1966, oil on canvas, 29” x 28”
Untitled abstract composition
in blue, purple and brown
c. 1966, oil on canvas, 24” x 35”
Untitled abstract composition in purple, red, black and gray
c. 1966, oil on canvas
34” x 33.5”
Untitled abstract composition in red, green, blue and gray
c. 1966, oil on canvas
35” x 34”
Untitled composition with translucent bands
c. 1966, oil on canvas
35” x 34”
Untitled abstract composition
in blue, red and yellow
c. 1969, oil on canvas, 17” x 36”
Untitled abstract composition
with flowing lines
c. ?, oil on canvas, 17.75” x 36”
Marian D. Scott
A Pioneer of Modern Art
Marian Dale Scott was born into a well-to-do anglophone
Montreal family in 1906. Recent immigrants to Canada,
the Dales were part of that social milieu which sought to
uphold the values and customs of Victorian England. A
published author, Marian’s mother, May Dale encouraged
all her children to explore their creative gifts. At an early
age Marian displayed a talent for painting and she was
soon enrolled at the Art Association of Montreal (AAM, later
known the Montreal Museum of Fine Art). She was only
eleven at the time.
Although it was still unusual in the 1920s for women to
pursue a profession, Marian was ambitious to become a
professional artist. She was cognizant of her debt to some
of the more established female artists from whom she was
receiving instruction. In her diaries, she observed that, “…
many of the women … were working toward a wider world
(than had been expected of them). Prudence Heward, Anne
Savage, Sarah, Lilias Newton, all tried for new horizons.”
Like her mentors, Marian was determined to choose her
own path, which was to paint. She continued her art studies at the École de Beaux-arts de Montréal in the fall of
1923, completing the three year course.
While attending the École de Beaux-arts de Montréal, Marian met her future husband, Frank Scott, a gifted McGill law
student and future founder of the League for Social Reconstruction and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation
(the CCF Party). He had progressive ideas and like Marian,
was dedicated to the improvement of social and cultural life
in Canada. As they saw more and more of each other, their
friendship matured into love.
In 1926, she traveled to London to attend the Slade School
of Art, as she had long-planned. Slade operated on an
academic teaching model, though it was more progressive
than the Royal Academy schools. The students drew from
models and visited London’s many galleries and museums. Under pressure from Frank, however, she cut her
studies short and returned after only one year and they
were married in 1928.
On her return from England, she resumed painting seriously. An analytical artist, she aspired to bring logic and
order to her painting. Rather than basing her work on
pure emotion, she hoped that her art could, in a symbolic
way, “bring order to a world of Chaos.” With the Depression making a misery of the lives of many around her, she
felt her art should address life’s realities. She recognized
the dichotomy that this posed, that while the artist was a
reflection of society, she was, at the same time, a prophet.
Alternatively, she was also attracted to the idea of “letting
the painting paint itself,” to access the subconscious for
hidden meaning. She believed that painting was the product of both the conscious and the unconscious minds.
Marian’s art was evolving to reflect her sympathy with
many social causes, including the plight of Canadian workers downtrodden by years of Depression hardships. Her
unsentimental style of painting leaned toward abstraction
as she explored subject matter which included workers,
industry and cityscapes in an increasingly stylized manner.
She looked for a balance between content and abstraction. She consciously chose impersonal themes, stating:
“I will leave landscape, old houses, portraits, snowscenes,
[and] picturesque markets to others”. In so doing, the
Montreal art critic, Graham McInnis asserted that she had
sacrificed her “femininity!”
Marian’s rebellion against “academic” painting was stimulated by her friendships and association with like-minded
artists. In 1939, she was involved in the formation of
Montreal’s Contemporary Arts Society (CAS). The founders included her close friends, Fritz Brandtner, John Lyman
and Jori Smith. The organization was formed to promote
public awareness of modern art and to foster the development of progressive art forms. The group eventually grew
to include members of the Automatistes, who for decades
dominated the modern art scene in Quebec and the rest of
Canada.
Marian Scott had friends among the anglophone and
francophone arts communities alike. Over the course of
the 1950s, she was invited to participate in numerous
exhibitions of modern painting organized by the community
of French speaking artists. She was included in the 1954
exhibition organized by Marcelle Ferron, entitled “Drawings by 12 Montreal Artists.” In 1956, she exhibited in the
“panorama de la pientures montréalaise” along side artists
such as Jean-Paul Riopelle and Alfred Pellan. Her art was
recognized and accepted among the art vivant circles of the
1950s.
As the decade of the 50s progressed, Marian Scott moved
toward an entirely non-objective way of painting which
would characterize the last thirty years of her life. Modern
painting in Montreal was influenced by two trends during the 1950s, the Automatistes and the Plasticiens. The
Automatistes advocated a complete freedom from any
form of artistic self-censorship, in favour of an “automatic”
drawing/painting technique. The Plasticien movement,
emerging in 1955, was a reaction to the Automatistes. It
advocated a more orderly approach to painting, stressing colors, lines, and contrast, as is best-illustrated by the
works of the European artist, Piet Mondrian. Marian Scott’s
pure abstraction of the 60s, 70s and 80s can be classified
as neither, but bears the influence of both. She said of her
mature works: “As I get older, I wish more and more that
my paintings speak for themselves. I like to paint with as
much of me as possible.”
International Women’s Year of 1974, was an important one
for Marian Scott, as her work was included in three important exhibitions. At the National Gallery of Canada her work
was selected for an exhibition entitled, “Canadian Painters
of the 1930s”. The exhibition highlighted how the modern
art movement in Canada had evolved to break through
national borders and thrust Canadian art onto the world
stage. Quebec artists, and members of the CAS in particular, had played a crucial role in the overall development of
modern art in Canada. At the Agnes Etherington Gallery in
Kingston, Ontario, Marian Scott was included in the exhibition, “From Women’s Eyes: Women Painters in Canada.”
Also marking International Women’s Year, the exhibition,
“Quatorze femmes peintres de Québec” took place in Montreal. At 70 years of age, she participated in this exhibition
as well. Critics remarked that it was unfortunate that it took
the International Women’s Year to show the critical, cultural
contributions made by female artists in Canada.
Marian stopped painting for two years while she was nursing her husband in his last illness. After his death in 1985,
she worked through the mourning process by painting. Her
works during this period represented ultimate freedom in
her use of paint. Often painting with her hands, as well
as a brush, she told friends that she felt as though she
was “dancing with paint.” Despite her frail health, this
final series displayed a vital inner energy. When she was
encouraged to consider mounting a retrospective exhibition,
Marian Scott declined. Promoting her work, bringing her
paintings to a wider audience, or achieving greater recognition, had never been important goals to Marian. She made
it clear that she wished to dedicate her remaining years and
energies to painting.
Bibliography:
Trépanier, Esther. Marian Dale Scott,
Pioneer of Modern Art. Montreal:
Musée du Québec, 2000
MacDonald, Colin S. “Scott, Marian
1906-1993.” A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume 8, Part 1. Ottawa:
Canadian Paperbacks, 2006
The artist died at her home in November, 1993. Marian
Scott’s career had spanned the evolution of modern art in
Canada, from its early awakening to the powerful force it
became on the international scene. Without question, she
was instrumental in its development. Veteran art critic and
Scott admirer, Robert Ayre wrote: “Continuous renewal is
the phrase that best sums up Marian Scott’s painting. Her
way is to take up a theme and explore all possible variations before turning to a new series, moving on while she is
still fresh and avoiding vain repetition.” Ayre’s observation
is a fitting epitaph to life of Marian Scott. True to her life’s
ambition, she continued painting and experimenting until
she had, in her estimation, reached her final goal...pure
freedom of expression in paint.
Untitled abstract in orange and pink
c. 1992, oil on canvas, 24” x 20”
Untitled abstract in gray and orange
1992, oil on canvas, 24” x 20”
Untitled abstract in pink, blue and brown
c. 1992, oil on canvas, 16” x 20”
Untitled abstract in saturated colours
c. 1992, oil on canvas, 16” x 20”
Untitled abstract in red blue and green
on white ground
1988, oil on canvas, 14” x 18”
Untitled abstract in cobalt blue
on white ground
c. 1988, oil on canvas, 18” x 20”
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