Heavy accretion of dirt and smudges all over surface. Several water stains in areas BL, BR, TR, and just to the TR of center. Frame and canvas are skewed so that they are no longer square.
Arthur Lismer (1885-1969) was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, in a family of six children. He studied art extensively in Europe before coming to Canada. In Toronto, he first worked in the Grip Engraving Company with J.E.H. MacDonald and Tom Thomson. He exhibited with the Group of Seven since their first show at the Ontario Art Gallery in 1920. Besides his career as an artist, Lismer held important offices as an art educator (Director of the Victoria School of At and Design, Vice-Principal of the Ontario College of Art). He promoted visual art education for children, soldiers, sailors, handicapped people; he was one of the cofounders of the Art Centre for Children. The artist participated in Art Education conferences all around the world. (A Dictionary of Canadian Artists; Colin S. MacDonald. Canadian paperbacks LTS, 1991. P.860-66) The Group of Seven: "The goals of the artists who would form the Group of Seven in 1920 were idealistic and nationalistic in intent... They set out to throw off the colonial attitude which denigrated all Canadian creative ventures and slavishly imitated worshipped all things British or European...The rough wildness of the landscape, its raw, dramatic austerity, coupled with breathtaking color and light, spoke far more directly of Canada for these artists than anything to be found in the cities or settled areas. For them the north, a constant motif in earlier discussions of Canadian identity, found its first expression in the rocks, burnt land, trees, color, and light of Algonquin park... Like other major art innovators, the Group were united in their intent and cooperative action, and together they were remarkably effective in promulgating their vision across Canada and internationally." (Charles C. Hill: The Group of Seven, Art for a Nation. The Canadian Publishers, 1995. P.15-33)
Dimensions
40 X 50 cm
Size Overall
53 X 62.5 cm
Medium
oil
Condition
Frame has minor scratches on right and left arms.
Primary Support
canvas
Secondary Support
frame - wood
Inscriptions
Inscription: A gift of the teacher training classes of Brandon College, 1955-65.
Paper is creased and scratched in TR corner and has surface debris, apparently from the scratch. Pencil mark in TL area as well as pencil smudge in bottom center. There is also cockling of the surface.
James (Jock) W. G. MacDonald was born in Thurso, Scotland in 1867. He studied at Edinburgh College of Art, and later worked as a fabric designer. He taught at Lincoln School of Art; Vancouver School of Art; School of Decorative and Applied Arts, Vancouver; Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, Calgary; and at Ontario College of Art after 1947. MacDonald was a member of Canadian Group of Painters and Painters Eleven. He died in Toronto in 1960. The artist was conducting independent experiments in Vancouver while the others worked in Winnipeg and Toronto. He had painted 'automatics' by 1934 and completely abstract or non-objective works by 1935 or 1936. (Painting in Canada: A History. Harper J. Russel. U of Toronto Press, 1977. P 327) Jock MacDonald was one of Canada's first painters to explore the relationship between abstraction and landscape. What MacDonald did is take the formal qualities of his subjects and isolate or abstract them form the landscape. (The History of Painting in Canada. Barry Lord. Toronto: NC Press, 1974. P 205-7)
Dimensions
23.5 X 33.5 cm
Size Overall
45 X 52.5 cm
Medium
watercolor
Condition
Slight cockling of surface.
Primary Support
paper
Secondary Support
mat, plexiglass, backing board; frame - wood and plaster with gild
Paul Panton, a native of Melita, and now a resident of Boissevain, began art lessons with Miss Helen Douglas in New Westminster, B.C.. He continued study with Joe Plaskett at the Vancouver School of Art. During 1962 to 1964 he studied with Steve Repa at the Brandon Allied Arts Centre. The artist held several solo exhibitions in B.C. and Manitoba. (BU Art Catalogue, 1983)
Dimensions
28.5 X 41.5 cm
Size Overall
66 X 81 cm
Medium
oil pastel
Condition
Cockling of mat in BM area. Frame has multiple abrasions all along perimeter.
Cracking of varnish throughout, as well as heavy application of varnish. Nail that is holding the canvas in place is poking through mid way up the right side (1996).
Inscription on back: Deborah Hayward is from Kitimaat B.C. (Kitimaat means people of the snow). The design is of a killer whale, riding on his back is the King Salmon who guided the whale to fish
Mild crease in TC area. Few brown accretion marks over surface. The inside/secondary mat has slide slightly sideways. There is clear plastic tape completely covering the glass surface.
