Constructing New Horizons: the art of Winnipeg modernist Tony Tascona

Abstract

There is a popular perception that Canadian art is largely reactionary and without real innovation, however the Winnipeg-based artist Tony Tascona is a demonstrable example of a Canadian artist as primary innovator. Because of his technical training in the aerospace industry, Tascona was able to introduce a whole body of knowledge unfamiliar to the fine art world. Artistic experimentation with non-traditional industrial materials had been explored for several decades prior to the appearance of his mature work, however Tascona possessed an intimate knowledge and sensitivity to his materials that lead to a style uniquely appropriate to his content; his content being the materials themselves and the forms of the mechanised world. Through archival research at the University of Manitoba and an interview with the artist’s nephew, this paper explores Tascona’s artistic genealogy, working milieu and unique situation within modern art history. Its ultimate purpose is to make a case for why his work deserves critical attention and why he should be remembered as a great artist with a contribution unique not just to Canada, but to the world.