Lunar Moose Bon Echo

About Lunar Moose Bon Echo

This contemporary pop art painting of a moose silhouetted against a moonlit sky is by Charles Pachter.

As one of Canada’s leading contemporary artists, known internationally for his iconic imagery, Charles Pachter has created a series of paintings dedicated to the ‘monarch of the north’—the majestic moose. In this acrylic piece, the distinctive black silhouette of a moose stands looking out over a turquoise blue lake under a full moon centered in a deep blue sky. Balancing the frame, adding dimension and depth in gray tones, a large rugged, rocky outcrop sits opposite the moose. Pachter is a multi-talented artist whose work over more than six decades includes not only painting but sculpture, printmaking, design and writing. Pachter first embraced pared-down form and a bright colour palette in the early seventies.
Since then most of his artwork has been focused on imagery that ‘puts Canada at the forefront.’ His art is often imbued with his own brand of clever humour—the ‘Pachter puns’ as he puts it are always ‘intended.’ His moose series was inspired by the fond childhood memory of an appearance he made in a short film in which he petted a moose at an exhibition. Pachter attributes that early encounter for his lifelong love of the image. The location for this painting is Bon Echo, a beautiful provincial park in southeastern Ontario.

“So, I was an impressionable young kid and what I didn’t realize is how much a childhood experience became something of an imprint for my entire career as an adult.” Charles Pachter

“Over his 50-year career, his boldly graphic works and uncloying patriotism have presented a cheeky yet defining vision of Canada and its culture unlike any other.” Betty Ann Jordan, Artist

Charles Pachter studied at the University of Toronto, the Sorbonne in Paris and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in the USA. Among his many accolades he is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario, a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters and a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He has had numerous solo exhibitions in Europe, Japan, the UK, India and Bangladesh. His work is held in both private and public collections around the world including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the McMichael Gallery.