Gabriel Joseph Gely
(1924)

Gabriel Gely Biography
(1924)

Born in Paris, France, his interest in art began in elementary school and continued into his youth when he became particularly interested in ancient art. When he was older he made casual visits to studios on the Left Bank in Paris where he received some free-hand drawing instruction. When the Nazis occupied France during the Second World War, Gély became active as a leader in the French underground. After the war he returned to his art interests and studied engraving, painting and sculpture himself. He was influenced bu the work of Giotto, Gauguin, Modigliani, Manet, Cézanne and other French Impressionists.

As part of his deep interest in ancient art he decided to learn about the Inuit and travelled to Canada in 1952. He was hired by the Department of Transport to work at Clyde River on Baffin Island, then Ennadai Lake (in the central Arctic) and finally at Sack’s Harbour on Banks Island. At these points, over eleven years, he gained first hand knowledge of the Inuit, a knowledge which led to his employment as crafts officer for the Department of Northern Affairs. Gély has lived in virtually every Arctic settlement while establishing art centres in that region.

In his painting and sculpture he strives to convey the elusive quality of any given moment or situation in which he finds his subjects. His paintings which are done in charcoal, pastel, and oils (mostly of Inuit) are filled with expression and are exceptionally well done, particularly his child studies. In sculpture he has worked with various types of stone from which he creates representational figures in the finest traditions of French sculpture.

He completed a large mural in 1967 in oil, for the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa which depicts the function and accomplishments of that department. W.Q. Ketchum of the Ottawa Journal described it as follows, “With deft sure brushwork, the artist has illustrated development programs related to both Indian and Inuit. The central section turns the clock back, depicting heavily laden prospectors ascending the Chilkoot Pass to the Klondike. All forms of transportation are depicted culminating in the airplane. It is explained that the Inuit faces are sketched from life and the ‘oversize profiles emphasize the importance of the human element in the vast northern region.’ Migratory birds are seen in flight and the musk-oxen and buffalo are shown, symbolic of the conservation programs of the department. The artist has given full play to his imaginative qualities as an artist. He has a splendid sense of colour and his work is beautifully integrated.” Gély is represented in the collection of the Glenbow Foundation, Calgary and reproductions of his work are at the National Museum of Canada, Ottawa.

Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume II”, compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1979