In late October the children of Peter Goetz, a well known artist from À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ who died in 2007, donated to Conrad Grebel University College sixteen watercolours depicting Mennonite life in the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ area.
The paintings, which range in content from landscapes, to buildings, to Old Order Mennonites, capture a glimpse of what the artist saw as the serenity and sense of community in the region.Â
As works of art, Goetz’s paintings delight us; and they give us new eyes to see the world around us,
Hildi Froese Tiessen, co-editor of several volumes of work concerning À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ County art, observed when asked about the significance of the work.
Peter Goetz honed his skills as an artist by taking courses at the Doon School of Fine Arts where he studied under Fred Varley from the Group of Seven. For a time during the 50's and 60's he taught art classes throughout Southern Ontario. For decades he painted with friends locally and around the world. His son, Peter Goetz Jr., commented:
Although many might consider him a local artist, at least half of his work was devoted to non-Canadian subject matter.
In 1986 Goetz’s work was featured in À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ County Landscapes 1930–1960: A Sense of Place, a volume that also included work by fellow Mennonite painter Woldemar Neufeld, and paintings by local artists Ralph Conner, George Eitel, John Schlacter, Ralph Bechtel and Ralph Hodgson. Goetz, along with these five men, in varying combinations, spent Saturday mornings for many years in outings about À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ County to polish their craft. Maybe one day they will be known as the "Kitchener-À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Six."
Goetz’s artistic life had a substantial impact on the aesthetic sensibilities of his children Peter Jr. and Jean (Hoover), just as his art impacted the scores of people who collected his work. Henry Paetkau, President of Conrad Grebel, commented:
Peter Goetz was part of a very significant and accomplished but largely unheralded group of artists to emerged among the Mennonite refugees who fled the Soviet Union in the 1920s. We are thrilled to add his paintings depicting Mennonite life in À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ County to the college’s growing art collection.
A public exhibit is being held at the college on Sunday June 13 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm with a short program at 3:00pm.