Paraskeva Clark

Parskeva Clark was a Canadian painter known for her interest in producing political artworks that engaged social issues. As a child she was given extra years of schooling not typically provided to girls of her social class at the time, and despite an initial interest in acting on the stage, she went on to attend classes at the Petrograd Academy of Fine Arts (1916-1918) before it was reopened as the Free Art Studios. While working as a set painter, Clark met her first husband. After his untimely death in a drowning accident she emigrated to France with their son to live with her husband’s family. This connection gave Clark the opportunity to meet many prominent Parisian artists during the eight years that she lived in Paris. Clark had little opportunity to paint until meeting her second husband and moving to Toronto in 1931.

Clark resumed taking night classes with artists working across many mediums and international styles. Her paintings began to take inspiration from these peers, with Clark becoming known for her use of colour and tilting background lines to better frame her portraiture subjects. Clark was a strong advocate of artists using their talents to draw attention to real world issues, earning herself a spot as one of the emerging Canadian political artists of the 1930s. In her later life, Clark’s eldest son struggled with mental health issues that would come to affect her productivity as an artist, although Clark continued to paint her entire life.

Clark was a member of the Canadian Group of Painters, the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, The Canadian Society of Graphic Art, The Ontario Society of Artists, and the Royal Canadian Academy. She participated in the first exhibition of the Canadian Group of Painters in 1933 and continued exhibiting with them through the 1960s. She participated in international solo and group shows throughout her lifetime and her work is held in various public institutions across Canada.