The Lynx, 1965
Christopher Pratt, The Lynx, 1965, Serigraph on paper, 51.8 x 76.2 cm, The Rooms, St. John’s
The Lynx stems from a rare, charged encounter Pratt had with a lynx in the wild. The animal’s gaze locked with his and remained there, the cat never turning away. That stare stayed with Pratt and became something more than just observation. For him, the lynx became a mirror. In the resulting image, the lynx stares directly at the viewer, its oversized body taut, set against a stark, empty landscape. It is alert, solitary, and unyielding—a projection of self-possession and wildness that echoed Pratt’s own inner world. The intensity of that gaze—refusing to turn away—invites an uneasy kind of recognition.
Christopher Pratt, Crow and Raven, 1978, serigraph (ed. 35/45), 40.5 x 60.6 cm, The Rooms, St. John's.
Christopher Pratt, Moose and Transports, 1993, oil on canvas, 83.8 x 114.3 cm, collection of Jane and Raphael Bernstein.
For Pratt, animals were never simply subjects of observation; they were symbolic. This interest threads through works like Crow and Raven, 1978, and Moose and Transports, 1993, among others. They embodied vulnerability, solitude, and survival—qualities he quietly mapped onto himself and his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Pratt was acutely aware of how the province’s landscapes were being reshaped—how hunting, industrial developments, and environmental change were altering habitats, determining which animal species endured and which disappeared. “The more I thought about it,” he wrote, “the more I realized my images of animals were autobiographical.” In this context, The Lynx is a psychological portrait, both personal and provincial.
In contrast, consider The Sheep, 1971, which offers a gentler reflection. Based on animals seen on the Southern Avalon Peninsula, the sheep lies calmly on the grass, turned in profile, enclosed by a series of wooden fences. It is a quiet image—still, contained, and contemplative. “Sheep,” said Pratt, “come burdened with a load of symbolism I want to avoid: to me they mean St. Mary’s Bay.”
Christopher Pratt, The Sheep, 1971, Serigraph (AP), 40.7 x 88.2 cm, The Rooms, St. John's.
Together, these two works reflect the emotional range of Pratt’s practice: one fierce and direct, the other reserved and inward. Through these images, Pratt places himself—subtly—within the landscape. The animal becomes a surrogate, its stillness and strength echoing his own. This merging of self, symbol, and place is central to his practice.
Gallery
Christopher Pratt, Gros Morne (At Portland Creek), 1960, oil on Plywood, 91 x 91.5 cm, The Rooms, St. John’s.
Christopher Pratt, Gros Morne (At Portland Creek), 1961, serigraph on paper (working proof), 42 x 75.2 cm, The Rooms, St. John’s
Christopher Pratt, Woman at a Dresser, 1964, oil on hardboard, 67.2 x 77.5 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Christopher Pratt, The Lynx, 1965, Serigraph on paper, 51.8 x 76.2 cm, The Rooms, St. John’s
Christopher Pratt, House in August, 1969, oil on board, 44.5 x 62.2 cm, Currier Museum of Art, New Hampshire
Christopher Pratt, Institution, 1973, oil on Masonite, 76.2 x 76.2 cm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Christopher Pratt, Spring at My Place, 1985, serigraph, 50.6 x 95.7 cm, The Rooms, St. John’s
Christopher Pratt, Christmas Eve at 12 O’Clock, 1995, lithograph on paper (A/P VI), 25.8 x 28.5 cm, The Rooms, St. John’s
Christopher Pratt, Deer Lake: Junction Brook Memorial, 1999, oil on canvas, 114.5 x 305 cm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Christopher Pratt, Driving to Venus: On the Burgeo Road, 2000, oil on hardboard, 101.6 x 165.1 cm, Private collection
Christopher Pratt, After the Cold War: Argentia Approach, 2008, oil on canvas, 152.4 x 177.8 cm, Private collection
From left to right: Christopher Pratt, Winter Suite 1: West Fall Evening, 2009, oil on board, 91.4 x 104.1 cm, private collection; Christopher Pratt, Winter Suite 2: North Winter Night, 2009, oil on board, 91.4 x 104.1 cm, private collection; Christopher Pratt, Winter Suite 3: East Spring Morning, 2009, oil on board, 91.4 x 104.1 cm, private collection; Christopher Pratt, Summer 1/1 4: South Summer Noon, 2009, oil on board, 91.4 x 104.1 cm, private collection.