Robert Pope Archive

Robert created a trilogy of three watercolour paintings on the theme of exile, including Escape from the Promised Land and The Promised Land. All three paintings feature cars and figures in urban landscapes at night. The earlier paintings make reference to

This forlorn giantess is reminiscent of Goya’s sad giant at the end of time, cut off from the last remnants of humanity. Robert loved symmetry, but often used it in an ironic manner, as here, the cool geometry of the building and composition contrasting with a distraught display of emotion.

Robert made original Christmas cards that served as small gifts that allowed him to connect with friends and patrons. These cards became increasingly sophisticated and, as expectations around them grew, Robert felt challenged to outdo himself each year. He often set himself the double

Robert’s images served many functions. This Ezekiel-like vision by way of Bob Dylan emerged out of Robert’s “Accident” series. The image next appeared on Robert’s home-made Christmas card for 1990, with a line from the Bible inside: “The light shines

The title “Song of Solomon” refers to the joyful chapter in the Bible that reads like a love poem filled with nature imagery. The lovers in the Song of Solomon are both human characters and at the same time symbolic of

Robert had earlier portrayed two lovers in profile with a skull and flowers between them. In this image from Illness and Healing, the mood is altogether different as the x-ray of a skull appears between the heads of two doctors. The

This illustration, influenced by Leonardo’s Annunciation, was featured in one of Robert’s hand-crafted Christmas cards. Robert had a life-long fascination with Leonardo da Vinci, in part because of da Vinci’s dual interest in art and science. In university, Robert had to choose

To his friends, Robert was noted for his reticence and quiet disposition. However his “Seal Upon Thine Heart” paintings were based on an Elizabeth Smart novel noted for its dense outpouring of words and emotion. Smart referred to this as “The Lavishness of

Robert grew up in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, a farming district famous for its apple orchards. Orchard features a landscape that is charged with energy and tension. The image of love unfolding suggests both anxiety and compulsion. There is a

This image looks more like the cover of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel, detailing the comic labyrinth of human passion, than an example of the deadpan school of Canadian social realism. The image does have a literary connection, one of a series