Ronald Langley Bloore 1925 - 2009

Private Collection, Toronto

Joan Murray, The Best Contemporary Canadian Art, Edmonton, 1987, p. 12. See p. 13 for a very similar image, Untitled, Chasuble Series #1, illustrated in colour

This work has not been viewed under UV, it appears to be in pristine condition.
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On a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1982, Bloore was struck by a display of medieval chasubles, the hooded, sleeveless vestments worn over the alb and stole by Catholic priests officiating at mass. The shapes are simple and elegant; the textures of the fine silks and rich brocades, woven with exceptional skill and in great detail, fascinated him. What ensued was a series of paintings that was inspired by this experience.

Bloore commented on the Chasuble series:

For years I had been concerned with establishing a low-relief image in oil paint on masonite, at times spray enamelling certain surfaces or glazing other areas. The paints are normally spread, raised and shaped by flexible paint scraps. Japanese chopsticks are the latest addition to my working tools. The paint is thinly layered with the scraper and then stroked through rapidly at varying angles with the chopsticks. The direct result is a visual very active surface. There is no one way of seeing these works. Changes in lighting conditions or the viewers' movements shift the surface patterns, and the painting is transformed.