| Description |
Canadian CPE, CSPWC, OC, OSA, RCA [1941-2022]
RESETTLEMENT; 1983
etching with aquatint on paper; ed. H/C
15 x 35.75 in. (38.1 x 90.8 cm)
signed, titled, dated and editioned in pencil
Note: This work is illustrated on pages 72-73 of "David Blackwood: Master Printmaker" (William Gough; Firefly Books; 2001).
Celebrated Newfoundland printmaker David Blackwood spent much of his early childhood visiting his maternal grandparents on Bragg's Island, a remote island on the northern side of Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Close to the artist's hometown of Wesleyville, Bragg's Island measures just over one mile long and was originally settled in the late 1850s, with the fishing industry largely supporting the community. Blackwood's grandparents were extremely important to the artist, instilling in him a deep love for the island's stories, people, and history.
In 1951, when Blackwood was 10 years old, the Newfoundland Government began a resettlement program, relocating small communities like Bragg's Island to mainland "growth centres" – larger towns with access to better services and economic opportunities. This initiative aimed to consolidate resources and stimulate economic growth, but its impact on tight-knit communities was profound. Blackwood's grandfather was deeply opposed to leaving his home, and the experience would haunt him forever. As Blackwood noted, "They didn't shift the house, you know. They took it down. And my grandfather locked himself in his shed and wouldn't come out. So his own son started to take the house down; piece by piece, he took apart the house." (1.)
Blackwood's 1983 etching, "Resettlement," is a poignant reflection of this traumatic event. The piece depicts a group of Bragg's Island residents huddled together in boats as they leave behind the island, while a lonely house floats eerily behind them in the water. Sombre and dreamlike, the home and the silhouetted figures are illuminated against the darkness of the ocean. Works like "Resettlement" not only serve as important documents of the history of Bragg's Island, but also represent the deep connection Blackwood had to the people who lived there and the community they formed.
1. "David Blackwood: Master Printmaker" (William Gough; Firefly Books; 2001), p. 59
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