Abstract artist Lena Shugar has examined the biblical Exodus in a series of 13 acrylic and mixed media works.
The painting The Crossing is featured in Lena Shugar’s Exodus exhibition.
Shugar’s exhibition, The Exodus, at the Leonardo Galleries until April 23, also has personal meaning for her.
In 1939, when she was two years old, Shugar (formerly Bienstock), her parents and her brother fled Stanislav, Poland.
The other passengers on the crowded train they took insisted that her family leave the train when she developed measles. Looking back, she says this saved their lives as the others likely perished.
They survived World War 11 in a remote farmhouse in Russia, where a Russian family allowed them to remain for the duration of the war.
The family’s exodus after the war took them from Russia to a displaced persons’ camp in West Berlin. Then they went to Norway, and in 1951, they arrived in Canada, not knowing anyone.
“The Exodus was a turning point in mankind’s transition from slavery to freedom, from polytheism and monotheism, from ancient values to modern ideals,” Shugar says.
Her Exodus exhibit examines the giving of the Judaic Laws and the entry to the Promised Land.
“My exhibition is an attempt to augment our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world,” she says.
Since her first major exhibition in 1990, Shugar’s paintings have been included in private and corporate collections in Sweden, Israel, Canada and the United States. Her works have also been used as illustrations for magazine covers, for donation cards and for wine bottle labels.
Her mystical paintings, in acrylic and mixed media, reflect her multi-faceted talents and her expertise with complex colour depictions.
Shortly after her arrival in Toronto as a teenager, Shugar came under the tutelage of Doris McCarthy, one of Canada’s foremost artists and teachers.
When the youngest of her three children started school, Shugar volunteered in the creative arts department at Baycrest and returned to her pursuit of a career as a professional artist.
For more information about The Exodus exhibit, call 416-924-7296 or visit www.lenashugar.com. Leonardo Galleries is at 133 Avenue Rd.
