Page 43 - Paul-Ygartua
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players, people watching chess games, chess pieces and other
themes have been portrayed in different types of paintings.
but there is also the “painting of chess”. without going into a
discussion of what abstract painting is and different kinds of
abstract painting, in my opinion the painting of chess should be
a subject of abstract painting. Is it fair to say, then, a painting
with chess as subject matter is a painting of chess, telling about
chess.
Paul Ygartua is an artist whose versatility is reflected in his work.
he is among those who lives elsewhere than their birthplaces.
he was born in 1945 in bebington, in the suburbs of Liverpool,
England. after graduating from Faculty of arts Industrial design,
Liverpool university in 1966, he immigrated to Vancouver,
canada. From then on painting becomes his whole existence.
he calls Vancouver, the place he lives in when he is not traveling,
his home. he has become well-known in canada especially for
his enormous murals. In time his status as a world artist is
recognized with awards, his work finds place in art collections.
he says, “For me the Game of Chess is like the Game of life.”
Familiar, though, the simile of “game of life” is, perhaps, Ygartua
is the first to use it as such. It is a word that be lauds neither life
nor chess and meets them both within the construction of play.
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