TORONTO-
Christopher Pratt, a beloved Canadian painter and designer of the provincial flag of Newfoundland and Labrador, has died at the age of 86.
The artist died Sunday at his home on the Salmonier River in Newfoundland, his family said in a statement later that day.
“Praised from an early age as one of Canada’s best painters and engravers, he was faithful to his art throughout his life,” the statement says. “Until the day he could no longer get there by his own steam, he went to his studio every morning without fail. He taught us to look and see. We will miss him every day.”
Pratt is survived by his brother, four children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The family statement said his “best friend and once wife,” also his painter Mary Pratt, died in 2018.
As a painter and engraver, Christopher Pratt often explored landscapes, architecture, and the body.
The Mira Godard Gallery in Toronto, which celebrates 60 years of promoting the Canadian art world, has represented Pratt for more than five decades.
Owner and manager Gisella Giacalone, who shared a close professional relationship and friendship with Pratt, said she was “completely heartbroken” by her death.
“I’m a big fan of his work and most of all; he was a dedicated and talented artist,” he said in an interview.
“He is one of Canada’s greatest artists and has had a profound influence on Canadian art,” he added. “He had a lot of artistic integrity, and I think you see it in the work. He produced a lot of memorable and important works that will last forever.”
Pratt’s work is on display at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, The Rooms in St. John’s and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
Due to a remarkable love for his home province, which also had an impact on his work, in 1980 Pratt was asked to design the Newfoundland flag that still waves today.
“Although he rarely admitted it, he was always delighted to see his design fly over private property across the province, or kept triumphant by Newfoundland and Labrador from around the world,” the family statement said. .
“He was never bothered by what politicians thought, but he was flattered and proud when the people of Newfoundland and Labrador embraced the flag as their own.”
In recognition of his extensive work, Pratt became a Fellow of the Order of Canada in 1983 and a recipient of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2018.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 5, 2022.