| William Kurelek |
Article Index for William |
Website Links For William |
Information AboutWilliam Kurelek |
|
He was born near and moved to Stonewall, Manitoba . He developed an early interest in art which was not encouraged by his hard-working parents. He later studied at the Ontario College Of Art and at the Instituto Allende in Mexico . In 1952, suffering from Depression and emotional problems he was hospitalized at Maudley Psychiatric Hopital in England . There he was treated for schizophrenia. Cornell case study: Early Onset – William Kurelek In hospital, he practiced his art, painting the notable work, "The Maze", a dark depiction of his tortured youth. ''British Journal of Psychiatry'' (2001) His experience in the hospital was documented in the Time-Life book ''The Mind'', published in 1965. Originally Ukrainian Orthodox , Kurelek converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1957 and later painted a series of 160 paintings on the Passion Of Christ . He maintained a cottage near Wilno (from where he got his inspiration for a book of paintings entitled ''The Polish Canadians''), and was a close friend of the nearby Madonna House Apostolate . He returned to Toronto and produced a series of classic children's books including his own artwork: He won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award for ''A Prairie Boy's Winter'' in 1974 and ''A Prairie Boy's Summer'' in 1976. In 1976, he was made a Member of the Order Of Canada . He died in Toronto in 1977. Parts of his painting ''The Maze'' (1953) were used by rock band Van Halen on the cover of their 1981 album, Fair Warning . Kurelek's art and writing were influenced by his childhood on the prairies, his Ukrainian roots and his religion. PUBLICATIONS
FILM AND VIDEO
NOTES FURTHER READING
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|