Razzle Dazzle: The Uses of

Abstraction

Camouflage as an art form is the theme of Razzle Dazzle: The Uses of Abstraction, a new exhibition at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery.

The warships and ocean liners that moved troops overseas during both World Wars were known as Dazzle ships due to the abstract patterns of colour and geometry that helped camouflage them. In both wars, Canadian, American and European artists lent their skills to the military in developing techniques of optical camouflage.

Vessels were painted with strong geometric patterns and bold, contrasting colouration to confuse U-boat captains bent on attack. The intention was deception: to mislead the eye and manipulate perception of the size, distance and even the direction of vessels to make their targeting difficult if not impossible. These patterns came to be called “Dazzle,” or “Razzle Dazzle,” and were the brainchild of Norman Wilkinson, a British marine painter who knew the deceptive possibilities that abstraction presented.

The exhibit includes sketches, drawings, prints and paintings by artists Arthur Lismer, Edward Wadsworth, and John Everett that document the artists’ response to this form of camouflage, as well as a work by a former Dazzle ship crewman depicting the vessel on which he sailed, and a wide range of historical photographs of Dazzle-painted ships, submarines and even an extremely rare airplane.

Razzle Dazzle: The Uses of Abstraction opens October 11 and runs until January 9, 2009. The exhibition has been organized and circulated by the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario, with guest curator Gil McElroy. The exhibition is supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Museum Assistance Program.

List of Artists:
Christopher Birt (b. 1945), Jack Bush (1909-1977), John Everett (1876-1949), Yves Gaucher (1934-2000),Robert Hedrick (b.1930), Yvonne McKague Housser (1898-1996), Jacques Hurtubise (b. 1939), Rita Letendre (b. 1926), Arthur Lismer (1885-1969), Jock Macdonald (1897-1960), Isabel McLaughlin (1903-2002), Ray Mead (1921-1998), Guido Molinari (1933-2004), Kenneith Noland (b. 1924), Frank Stella (b. 1936), C.E. Tarani, Claude Tousignant (b.1932).