Additional Images

Provenance:

Acquired directly from the artist.
Private Collection of Senator Paul Yuzyk, Ottawa.
By descent to the present owner.

Literature:

William Kurelek, A Northern Nativity, Christmas dreams of a prairie boy (Paintings and story by William Kurelek), Montreal, 1976, no pagination, colour plate 9 for an almost identical version of this work.

Note:

In his introduction to a Northern Nativity, Kurelek writes:

“Outside the prairie was covered with snow. Toward eleven o’clock William [himself when young] ventured out of the warm farmhouse kitchen up the dark stairway to his cold bedroom. Swiftly he stripped down to his long johns, dived between the icy sheets and pulled the covers over his head. Curled into a ball like a hibernating animal, he breathed and breathed until he felt warm enough under the blankets to relax and stretch out.

William enjoyed watching himself fall asleep, going back over the events of the day and seeing them slowly take on a new life in his dreams. In school that day his class had begun rehearsing for the annual Christmas concert. As drowsiness came over William, the Nativity story got mixed up with his history and geography lessons, and he had his first Christmas dream. It was about the Far North, perhaps because his nose protruded from the bedcovers and breathed the cold crisp air in the bedroom.”

The following text of Kurelek’s narrative in chapter 9 accompanies his painting of Across the River from the Capital:

“The sky is starless, and snow threatens again. In the dark river below a boom of logs floats. Across the river a light shines in the tower of the capital, announcing to the country that its representatives are inside deliberating.
As William fumbles his way through the trees in this dream he almost trips over the body of a young man in a green army sleeping bag. William often daydreamed of hoboing around the country when he was old enough; he now recognizes himself as the young man Bill, trying to save money by sleeping in the open.

Before he has a chance to study Bill closely, he sees a light approaching. He hides to watch what will happen. It is Mary carrying a kerosene lantern in one hand, her other arm free to cradle her Child. She stops when she sees the sleeping figure and kneels beside it, putting down her lamp. She lets the Child stretch forth His little hand and gently touch the forehead of the sleeper. Bill frowns and mumbles, ‘Buzz off, will you!’ He is proud of his young manhood, of going where he pleases, of owing no one anything.

‘That can’t be me. I’ll never reject Him!’ William cried so loudly he woke himself up. In his dream he wanted everyone to recognize and accept the Child. But was he really ready to give up his dream of independence? He stared at the ceiling a long time wondering about himself and about people on the hill. What if the Child reached out to touch them?”

Paul Yuzyk (1913-1986) was born of Ukranian pioneer settlers in Pinto, Saskatchewan. He was appointed to the Senate in 1963. Senator Yuzyk was the founder and first president of the Ukranian National youth Federation and a founder of the Canadian Association of Slavists and the Ukranian Canadian University Students Union. He was also the author of several books including For a Better Canada, The Ukranians in Manitoba.