Within Jack Kidder’s oeuvre there are several paintings that depict deserted streetscapes. The trash, graffiti, dilapidation, and dirt are given as much attention as the architectural elements of the buildings. These works do not include people, but the details show signs of human life. Thus, the viewer is given free rein to see the street unobstructed by people – a rare opportunity in a city. The facade of 650 Pembroke Street is of an old and weathered factory. Although the illustration is Kidder’s personal observation of the site, the work can also act as archive and provide information about the state of the building at the time it was depicted. Kidder’s heightened observation of the city and its facades can be attributed to his experience of living in New York and working on storefront designs. The move to the compact city must have challenged Kidder’s way of seeing the world.

He was born in Sioux, Iowa, in 1925 and raised in Turlock, Central Valley California. He received his artistic training at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. During World War Two, Kidder worked as technical illustrator of aircraft manuals. He then moved to New York City. In the ‘60s and ‘70s he became fascinated with abstraction. His sculptures integrated mixed media and explosive colours to demonstrate his point of view. In 1964, he came to Victoria where he stayed until he passed away in 1990. The manner that he depicts Victoria is different from his illustrations of other places – it is more nostalgic. One can assume that he considered Victoria his home, more so than anywhere else he lived. 

Check out Jack Kidder’s sculptures on the
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Website.
www.aggv.bc.ca

Jack Kidder, 650 Pembroke Street. Victoria, British Columbia. Graphite and pencil crayons on paper, 1981.