For years Nova Scotia painter Maud Lewis's work has been described as "quaint," and "joyful." As an artist, Lewis's lack of formal training and "childlike" portrayal of the world around her is often the polestar. But has anyone ever situated Maud Lewis within the wider context of art history? Why do some artists鈥攍ike Andy Warhol or Claude Monet鈥攇et praised for their repetition of certain motifs, but the same approach is often used as a point of detraction when discussing the works of Maud Lewis?
Curator and art historian Dr. Laurie Dalton explores these questions and more in her new book, Painted Worlds: The Art of Maud Lewis, A Critical Perspective, forthcoming from Nimbus Publishing on April 5, 2022. Dalton pushes past what others have already written about the artist, and focuses on what seems to be lacking in the storytelling and mythmaking: that she was a skilled artist who drew inspiration from her surroundings.