Light Drama

About Light Drama

This large contemporary abstract painting is by Otto Rogers.

Internationally celebrated as an important artist, the distinctive paintings of Otto Rogers hang in the National Gallery of Canada among other notable collections. Rogers was known for his uniquely bold form, rich colour palette and particularly for his masterful use of light. This large composition features organic and graphic shapes in earthy tones illuminated by a band of bright white and light gray at the top of the canvas. Black elements add dramatic contrast. Rogers grew up on the Saskatchewan prairies—affectionately referred to as ‘big sky’ country. The memory of that dynamic landscape bathed in light is recalled in many of his paintings.

“I came to the conclusion that obviously the most important element was light…Without light you have nothing…no colour, no texture, no definition, no form.” Otto Rogers

“He stands apart from much of Canadian abstract art, in which colourists working with a high-keyed palette so often held the lion’s share of critical attention. This preoccupation with shifts in values reflects Rogers’s love of light. It is tempting to credit that love merely to the vast, sunlit expanse of the prairies he was raised on. But light has a special meaning for him beyond that. He associates it with knowledge and wisdom, in part because of his Baha’i faith.”
Ken Carpenter, Professor Art History, York University

Otto Rogers (1935-2019) acquired his MA in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin and later taught at the University of Saskatchewan for 29 years. He also participated in the Emma Lake Workshops in BC which attracted some of North America’s finest artists. Rogers’ works—mixed media, paintings, and sculptures are held privately and publicly in more than 30 collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museu d'art Contemporain de Barcelona, and the National Gallery of Iceland. In 2007, a published book of his work Otto Donald Rogers, included a foreword by British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro.