A simplified shallow fishing skip in stone leaning against a wall.
Two simplified shallow fishing skips in stone, one leaning against a wall, with a couple people for scale.
Two simplified shallow fishing skips in stone, one leaning against a wall, with a couple children for scale.

Two Boats

Artist(s)
Hugh LeRoy
Date
1982
Object Type
sculpture
Medium
Nissar limestone
Dimensions
187 x 83 x 30 cm
Donor(s)
Estate of Hugh LeRoy
Collections
York University Art Collection
Accession
A2024.004
Tags

Two Boats, 1984, were hand-carved from single pieces of limestone that were lowered down by crane into the York Sculpture Studio. Both boats were exhibited in The Boat Show at the Art Gallery of North York, 1996, after first being shown at Wynick/Tuck Gallery in 1993. The upright boat leaned against the gallery wall, pointing toward heaven. This boat is intended to be brightly illuminated with no apparent shadows. It stands as a symbol of the “ideal” world. The boat on the floor is lit with well-defined light and shadow, I,e,, chiaroscuro. It symbolizes the phenomenal world; the here and now. Unlike the cathedral-like gothic arch of the upright boat, the earthbound boat reminds the viewer of the ferry used to transport souls across the River Styx. Seemingly contradictory, these boats are interchangeable. An observant viewer will notice the small fossils naturally found throughout the carved stone.