Art in Focus: Little Schwitters Suite (Simple) by J.C. (Carl) Heywood

"LITTLE SCHWITTERS SUITE - SIMPLE," 1999; ink on paper; screenprint; J.C. (Carl) Heywood, RCA: Born Toronto, Ontario, 1941; Died Montreal, Quebec, 2022; University of Alberta Museums, University of Alberta Museums Art Collection; 2004.1.82

J.C. (Carl) Heywood’s art can easily be described as being fully saturated with ink. Long inspired by his travels across the globe, Heywood would incorporate snippets of what he saw and experienced into his prints by layering images of patterns, landscapes, and symbols. In addition to his travels, Heywood also often reflected on past art histories and conventions in his work. For example, his screen-print LITTLE SCHWITTERS SUITE - SIMPLE (2004.1.82) from the University of Alberta Museums Art Collection looks to the work of multidisciplinary German artist Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) as a key source of inspiration.

Mimicking the shapes and colours found in Schwitters’ merz collages, Heywood pays homage to the artist by drawing our attention to the early development of the Dadaist movement. During the 1910s, Schwitters coined the term ‘merz’ to describe his creative assemblages, which was said to have taken from the name CommerzBank which appeared on a piece of paper in one of his collages.¹ By 1937, Schwitters work was altogether banned as ‘degenerate art’ by the Nazi regime and as a result, he fled to Norway and later to England.²

The Dadaist art movement, which was a reaction to the social and political upheavals in Europe leading up to the First World War provided insights on how colour, form, and image composition can convey a sense of the absurd. Ultimately, Dadaism presented the means to question the traditional conventions of artmaking. For Heywood, printmaking offers the perfect medium to engage with the playfulness and creative freedom found in both the Dadaist movement and Schwitters foundational work.

The University of Alberta Museums Art Collection holds close to 200 prints by Heywood, a significant representation of a single artist in the collection. His art can also be found in the collections of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ontario, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Ontario, and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa among many others. A long-time educator in the Fine Arts Department at Queen’s University, Heywood was also a frequent visiting artist and speaker at the University of Alberta. J.C. (Carl) Heywood passed away in Montréal in 2022.³

¹  “Art Term: Merz,” https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/merz, (accessed 7 February 2023).

² “Kurt Schwitters,”  https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/kurt-schwitters, (accessed 7 February 2023).

³ Pierre du Prey, “Professor Emeritus J. C. Heywood (1941-2022), master printmaker, painter, and mentor to countless artists during his 32 years at Queen’s,” https://www.queensu.ca/art/professor-emeritus-j-c-heywood-1941-2022-master-printmaker-painter-and-mentor-countless-artists, (accessed 7 February 2023).

This web story is part of the University of Alberta Museums Art Collection Spotlight Series, a collection of web stories aimed to share works of art from the University of Alberta Museums Art Collection with the world. Posted monthly, these stories connect works of art in the Collection to important matters on our campus and in our world.