In celebration of the Vancouver Art Gallery's 80th Birthday this year, the gallery is soliciting for gallery highlights from a diverse array of individuals: members, artists, staff. This time I had the privilege of selecting a highlight from the Vancouver Art Gallery's art collection. I chose Fred Herzog's "Hastings at Columbia" and below, this is the original text I've submitted to the Vancouver Art Gallery for publication.
I highly recommend a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery for a dose of visual arts. There's often a nice combination of art from the international art world as well as a spotlight to our own artists from right here in British Columbia and Canada.
On the cusp of the Vancouver Art Gallery's 80th birthday, I've selected Fred Herzog's "Hastings at Columbia" as one of the highlights of the gallery's collection. There are many reasons this work deserves highlighting. First the composition of the photo is admirable: the colourful and chaotic layers of neon signs, the sidewalks of Hastings Street teeming with pedestrians, the hint of blue sky peeking through the urban jumble. Even the small details are wonderful: the sartorial flair of the pedestrian wearing a red cardigan, the large type headline of the newspaper for sale in the foreground, the weathered store awnings. Herzog captured the vivid and busy urban scene that existed on Vancouver's Hastings Street in 1958.
In addition, Herzog's "Hastings at Columbia" is a lovely touchstone to the city's past. The photo reminds me of the old neon signs that used to exist in my neighbourhood of Renfrew Collingwood. Dragon Inn, Wally's Burgers and the Apostolic Church of Christ on Kingsway were our neighbourhood neon landmarks; now only the 2400 Motel sign still stands. The memory lives again as a result of seeing the photo. Remarkably, the same phenomenon occurred at the 2007 Fred Herzog show at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I would overhear fleeting memories of Vancouver among some of the patrons who saw something familiar in his photos. In those small, intimate moments, I was able to witness the potential and power of art that speaks of our community and connects to our community.
While New York City had Walker Evans to document everyday life in the city, Vancouver thankfully has Fred Herzog, and our collective ability to recall Vancouver's history is a little richer because of it. If it is ever on display again, go and look at this photo to gain an appreciation of our city's past. Perhaps some of us may even see inspiration for where our city needs to go next.
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