Arthur Lismer,
CCThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-born
CanadianCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
painter and member of the
Group of SevenThe Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
.
Early life
At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905. In 1905, he moved to
Antwerp,
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where he studied art at the Academie Royale.
Lismer immigrated to Canada in 1911, settled in
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario and took a job with
Grip Ltd.Grip was the name of the Toronto, Ontario design firm that was home to many of Canada's premier designers and painters during the first half of the 20th century....
- a satirical magazine.
Official war artist
Lismer came to the attention of lord who arranged for him to be commissioned as an " an official war artist." His best known work from the war years depicted what he observed and learned about in Halifax, Nova Scotia: Mine sweeping, convoying, patrolling and harbor defense.
Group of Seven
The collaboration of four artists at Grip gradually evolved into the "Group of Seven", whose work was intended to contribute to the process of giving Canada a distinctive national voice in painting. The group was known for its depictions of the North American wilderness. Another artist also associated with the group was
Tom ThomsonThomas John Thomson , also known as Tom Thomson, was an influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century. He directly influenced a group of Canadian painters that would come to be known as the Group of Seven, and though he died before they formally formed, he is sometimes incorrectly credited...
, although technically he died before the group formed. He also worked with the cadre at Grip.
Arthur Lismer's style was influenced by his pre-Canadian experience (primarily in
Antwerp), where he found the
BarbizonThe Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
and post-impressionist movements a key inspiration.
Collaborating with the group of artists who would, in 1919, become the Group of Seven. Lismer exhibited the characteristic organic style, and spiritual connection with the landscape that would embody that group's work.
During the
Centennial of the City of TorontoThe Centennial of the City of Toronto was celebrated in 1934. The celebrations included numerous events, exhibitions, and commemorations.Of the most modern relevance is the "Toronto's Hundred Years" Publication Committee, which published Toronto's 100 Years, from which much historical perspective...
, in 1934, Lismer was on the Pictures Committee. His work in art education was effective; and this service to the wider community caused Lismer to become influential in ways not achieved by his artist colleagues. For example, he started a children's art program at the Art Gallery of Toronto which became successful in the 1930s.
Several members of the Group of Seven later became members of the
Canadian Group of PaintersThe Canadian Group of Painters was a collective of 28 painters from across Canada which came together as group in 1933. They succeeded the disbanded Group of Seven, whose paintings of the Canadian wilderness had been a strong influence on Canadian art....
including
Lawren HarrisLawren Stewart Harris, CC was a Canadian painter. He was born in Brantford, Ontario and is best known as a member the Group of Seven who pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. A. Y. Jackson has been quoted as saying that Harris provided the stimulus for the...
,
A. J. CassonAlfred Joseph Casson, OC was a member of the Canadian group of painters known as the Group of Seven. He joined the group in 1926 at the invitation of Franklin Carmichael...
,
Arthur LismerArthur Lismer, CC was an English-born Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven.-Early life:At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905...
,
A. Y. JacksonAlexander Young Jackson, was a Canadian painter and a founding member of the Group of Seven.- Early life and training :...
, and
Franklin CarmichaelFranklin Carmichael was a Canadian artist. He was the youngest original member of the Group of Seven.-Biography:The youngest of the Group of Seven, Franklin Carmichael was born in 1890. His father was a carriage maker...
.
In 1967, he was made a Companion of the
Order of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Lismer died on March 23, 1969 in Montreal, Quebec and was buried alongside other members of the Original Seven at the McMichael Gallery Grounds.
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