Caroline Dukes

Canadian, 1929-2003

L #58 Aquaduct, from the series At the Focus of Forces, 1989

Acrylic on canvas

244 (ht) x 549 (wi) cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Alfred and Caroline Dukes

G-94-58 abc

Categories:

Painting, Canadian Contemporary (1980-present)

By the 1980s Caroline Dukes’s paintings had changed dramatically from stylized abstract-like interiors to highly expressive and gestural reflections of the innate energy of the natural world. This work is part of the series At the Focus of Forces, which depicted landforms, the architectural and figurative symbols of places where several civilizations evolved over the course of thousands of years. For Dukes, Israel was a land of contrast and diversity, at the convergence of historical past and volatile present. Here she represents in full grandeur the ancient Roman aqueduct at Caesarea, which lies along the Mediterranean coast between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa.