Arthur Lismer

Arthur Lismer’s dedication to promoting art education exposed him to a wide range of techniques and styles throughout his lifetime, leading him to develop a diverse painting style consisting of raw colours, heavy impasto, coarse brushstrokes, and simplified shapes.[1] Upon moving to Toronto, Lismer worked as a graphic designer at Grip Ltd. and met other artists such as J.E.H MacDonald (1873 – 1932) and Franklin Carmichael (1890 – 1945).[2] Earlier in his artistic career, he primarily painted with watercolour, influenced by his education back in England. In 1916 when Lismer went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and became head of the Victoria School of Art and Design, oil became his favourite medium, though he drew with other materials such as watercolour, lithography, ink, and graphite.[3] After reading sources there on American artist Arthur Wesley Dow (1857 – 1922), his paintings, such as Spring, Nova Scotia (1916-1919) began to demonstrate an interest in line and form.[4] Upon returning to Toronto in 1920, Lismer connected with his former colleagues from Grip Ltd. and other like-minded artists through the Arts and Letters Club, subsequently becoming a part of the Group of Seven.[5] He traveled throughout Ontario with members of the group and his family, painting various landscapes. Georgian Bay became his favourite painting location at the time and some of his best works were done in the area including Storm, Georgian Bay (1931).[6]

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Click here to read more about Lismer's Spring, Nova Scotia, 1916-1919.

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Notes: 

[1] Christopher Varley, “Arthur Lismer,” in The Canadian Encyclopedia, May 4, 2015, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/arthur-lismer.

[2] “Arthur Lismer,” National Gallery of Canada, accessed March 28, 2024, https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artist/arthur-lismer.

[3] Angela Nairne Grigor, Arthur Lismer: Visionary Art Educator (Montréal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002), 41.

[4] Grigor, 42. 

[5] “Arthur Lismer, RCA, 1885-1969,” Art Gallery, Fine Art Collector, accessed March 28, 2024, https://fineartcollector.ca/arthur-lismer/.

[6] Grigor, 101.