Introducing Maud Lewis (ARTE) ~ di Michael Lettieri - TeclaXXI

 ARTE

INTRODUCING MAUD LEWIS 

di Michael Lettieri

University of Toronto Mississauga

                 

Brushed with Light: A First Look at Maud Lewis

 

                   Maud Lewis, 1961. Photo by Cora Greenway. Photo courtesy of the AGNS.

 

 A prominent figure in the history of Canadian folk art, Maud Lewis (1901-1970) was born near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and lived most of her creative life less than 100 kilometers away in the tiny rural community of Marshalltown. Lewis is widely recognized as a symbol of resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of artistic expression in the face of adversity. This essay briefly discusses her life and art, and is accompanied by a selection of images of her artworks housed in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS), as well as a suggested list of relevant publications and biographical films. Together, these resources offer an accessible introduction for those new to Lewis’s work and a foundation for additional scholarly inquiry. 

Although Lewis has not yet achieved broad international recognition, her stature within Canada has grown significantly in recent decades. Her joyful, brightly colored depictions of rural Nova Scotian life, rendered in a distinctive, self-taught style, are increasingly valued by curators, scholars, collectors, and the general public. Major exhibitions dedicated to her work have been mounted across Canada, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and elsewhere, reinforcing her position as a central figure in Canada’s folk art canon.

One of the most significant sites for engaging with Maud Lewis’s artistic legacy is the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. As the largest public art museum in Atlantic Canada, the AGNS has, since 1998, held the most comprehensive public collection of Lewis’s work. Central to this collection is the fully restored and permanently installed Maud Lewis House, the modest one-room dwelling she shared with her husband, Everett Lewis, in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. Despite the home’s lack of electricity and running water, Lewis transformed its interior into an allencompassing work of art, embellishing virtually every surface (walls, doors, windows, and domestic objects) with brightly colored floral motifs, animals, and rural scenes. Reconstructed within the AGNS, the house functions both as a preserved artifact of domestic life and as an immersive, three-dimensional artwork that offers valuable insight into Lewis’s creative process and her distinctive visual worldview. Further exploration of this unique environment , hre is a short video below:

 Maud Lewis’ Painted House, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

                                                            Michael Lettieri © 2025 

Additionally, a virtual tour of the entire Maud Lewis Gallery, provided by the AGNS, is available at: 

 https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=YQdNThfTJD4.

The AGNS has also contributed to the dissemination and popularization of Lewis’s work through an extensive range of merchandise and educational materials, including fine art reproductions, academic publications, children’s books, poetry collections, and biographies, including a biographical novel inspired by her life. Giftware such as jigsaw puzzles, mugs, scarves, and apparel bearing the artist’s motifs further extend her cultural reach. These material items serve both educational and economic purposes, sustaining public interest in Lewis’s work while supporting the institution’s broader outreach efforts. 

A significant milestone in the public reception of Maud Lewis was the release of the 2016 biographical film Maudie, directed by Aisling Walsh. Featuring Sally Hawkins as Maud and Ethan Hawke as Everett Lewis, the film dramatizes the artist’s life, portraying her struggles with poverty, disability, and social isolation while celebrating her unwavering creative spirit. The film garnered international acclaim and substantially heightened global interest in her art. In its wake, Lewis’s paintings began receiving increased media coverage and experienced a significant rise in market value.

 Despite suffering from rheumatoid arthritis ̶ speculatively diagnosed posthumously based on visual documentation and clinical descriptions of her physical impairments, which suggest chronic pain and restricted mobility ̶ Lewis maintained a remarkable level of artistic productivity throughout her life. Her oeuvre, characterized by the use of bright colors, simplified forms, and an intuitive sense of composition, typically depicts scenes of rural Canadian life: teams of horses, fishermen in boats, deer in snowy forests, and flower-filled gardens. Her flattened perspective and vibrant palette place her firmly within the tradition of naïve or outsider art, inviting comparison to American folk artist Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses). 

Ultimately, the enduring appeal of Maud Lewis lies not only in the aesthetic qualities of her art but also in the authenticity of her vision. She did not pursue painting for fame or material gain, but as a source of personal joy and fulfillment. Her work continues to resonate with audiences across generations, embodying themes of perseverance, simplicity, and hope. These values, embedded within her visual narratives, remain central to her legacy and to ongoing scholarly interest in her life and work. 

The following selections from the AGNS’s permanent collection exemplify Maud Lewis’s characteristic visual vocabulary, forming a basis for critical engagement with her artistic contributions and her position within Canadian art history.

  

Oxen in Winter, late 1940s/early 1950s. Courtesy of the AGNS.

   Three Black Cats, 1960s, oil on pulpboard, 22.5 x 29.7 xm. Courtesy of the AGNS.

Sleigh Ride with Covered Bridge, 1966, oil on pulpboard over graphite, 28.8 x 34.0 cm. 

Courtesy of the AGNS.

 Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy, Bay View, 1965, oil on pulpboard, 32.1 x 35.0 cm. 

Courtesy of the AGNS.

 

 

Deer in Winter, c 1950, oil on pulpboard, 29.6 x 35.9 cm. Courtesy of the AGNS.

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Selected Bibliography 

Barnard, Murray. «The Little Old Lady Who Paints Pretty Pictures». Star Weekly (Toronto), July 10, 1965. 

Beaudry, Diane (dir.). Maud Lewis: World Without Shadows. Ottawa: National Film Board, 1976. Documentary. 

Bruneau, Carol. Brighten the Corner Where You Are: A Novel Inspired by the Life of Maud Lewis. Halifax: Vagrant Press, 2020.

Churchill, Sarah (dir.). I Can Make Art Like... Maud Lewis. Ottawa: National Film Board, 2005. Series of six short films. 

Cronin, Ray. Maud Lewis: Creating an Icon. Gaspereau Field Guides to Canadian Artists. No. 5. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau Press, 2020.

 _______. Our Maud: The Life, Art and Legacy of Maud Lewis. 3rd ed. Foreword by Sarah Moore Fillmore. Halifax: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 2023. 

Dalton, Laurie. Painted World. The Art of Maud Lewis: A Critical Perspective. Halifax: Nimbus Publishing, 2022. 

D’Entremont, Peter (dir.). The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis. Halifax: Triad Film Productions, 1998. Film. 

Fillmore, Sarah, et al. Maud Lewis and the Nova Scotia Terroir. Shenzen: He Xiangning Art Museum, 2019. 

Hamilton, Laurie. The Painted House of Maud Lewis: Conserving a Folk Art Treasure. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions; Halifax: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 2001. 

Kinnear, Sheila M. «My Work for Maud Lewis». Canadian Art, August 15, 2017. 

Milroy, Sarah. Maud Lewis: Paintings for Sale. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions; Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2019. 

Morton, Erin. «Commemorative Expectations: The Mixed-Economy Model of the Maud Lewis Painted House Preservation, 1970-1998». Acadiensis 43.1 (Winter/Spring 2014). 

_______. For Folk’s Sake: Art and Economy in Twenty-Century Nova Scotia. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2016.

_______. «Ordinary Affects: Maud Lewis and the Social Aesthetics of the Every-day». Journal of Canadian Art History 34, no. 2 (Spring 2014). 

Pearse, Harold. «The Serial Imagery of Maud Lewis». Arts Atlantic 15, no. 2 (Summer 1997). 

Pinsent, Claudia. «The Joyful Gifts of Maud Lewis». Atlantic Books Today, Winter 1996/1997. 

Sherman, Joseph (ed.). The AGNS Permanent Collection: Selected Works. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2002. 

Stinson, Kathi, and Lauren Soloy. A Tulip in Winter: A Story About Folk Artist Maud Lewis. Vancouver: Greystone Books, 2023. 

Walsh, Aisling (dir.). Maudie. Dublin: Parallel Films; Toronto: Screen Door; St. John’s: Rink Rat Productions, 2016. Film.

Woolaver, Lance. The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis. Photographs by Bob Brooks. Halifax: Nimbus Publishing/Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 1996, 2017. 

_______. Maud Lewis: The Heart on the Door. Halifax: Spenser Books, 2016. 

_______. A World Without Shadows: The Original Play. Halifax: Spenser Books, 2016. 

_______, and Bob Brooks. Christmas with Maud Lewis. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1997, 2017. 

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MICHAEL LETTIERI

BIONOTA Michael Lettieri is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Language Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he held several key academic roles. Founder of the department, he also directed the Italian School at Middlebury College and the journal Italica. His work spans textual criticism, early modern drama, and second-language acquisition. He has received notable academic honors and contributes to international scholarly committees.