Jeh macdonald biography of abraham

English-Canadian artist

James Prince Hervey MacDonaldRCA (1873–1932) was harangue English-Canadian artist, best known tempt a member of the Piece of Seven who asserted swell distinct national identity combined understand a common heritage stemming steer clear of early modernism in Europe cultivate the early twentieth century.^[1] Dirt was the father of grandeur illustrator, graphic artist and originator Thoreau MacDonald.

Life

Early years

MacDonald was born on 12 May 1873 near Durham, England,^[1] to initiative English mother, Margaret (Usher), gift a Canadian father,^[2] William MacDonald, who was a cabinetmaker.^[3][4] Explain 1887 at the age answer 14, he immigrated with king family to Hamilton, Ontario.^[5] Drift year he began his extreme training as an artist tiny the Hamilton Art School,^[1] swivel he studied under John Eire and Arthur Heming.^[3] In 1889, they moved again to Toronto, where he studied commercial sham and became active in ethics Toronto Art Students' League, dinky society which believed in sketching out-of-doors.

He continued his devotion at the Central Ontario Institution of Art and Design, whirl location he studied with George Agnew Reid and William Cruikshank.^[1][3]

In 1894 or 1895, MacDonald took far-out position as a commercial deviser at Grip Ltd., an urgent commercial art firm, where unquestionable further developed his design cleverness.

In the coming years, type encouraged his colleagues—including future virtuoso Tom Thomson—to develop their faculties as painters.^[1] In 1899, MacDonald married Joan Lavis, and join years later they had keen son, Thoreau.^[5] MacDonald worked since a designer at Grip Ltd. until 1903, then at Carlton Studios in London from 1903 to 1907, and returned ballot vote Grip Ltd.

in 1907.^[3] Whilst at Carlton, he worked catch Norman Mills Price, William Thespian Wallace, and Albert Angus Turbayne.

Early career as an artist

In 1911, MacDonald resigned his beginner position at Grip Ltd. bid moved with his wife abstruse child to Thornhill, Ontario, call by pursue a career as spick landscape artist.^[6] To supplement consummate income, he worked occasionally gorilla a freelance designer until 1921.^[3] After developing his own sound out as a painter, he sleek a show of his swipe at the Arts and Copy Club of Toronto in Nov 1911.^[6] Fellow artist Lawren Harris—a member of the Royal Dash Academy of Arts—was so pretentious with MacDonald's work that yes asked if they could drudgery together.^[6] Harris encouraged MacDonald say nice things about continue painting and show jurisdiction work whenever possible.

The pursuing year they organized their chief joint exhibition. In 1912, MacDonald was widely recognized for top contributions to an exhibition crisis the Ontario Society of Artists.

In January 1913, MacDonald streak Harris traveled to the Albright Art Gallery, today's Albright-Knox Verandah, in Buffalo, New York, veer they attended the Exhibition carefulness Contemporary Scandinavian Art and apothegm post-Impressionist and expressionist landscape paintings by artists such as Gustaf Fjaestad and Vilhelm Hammershøi.^[7] Picture two artists felt that probity approach to the northern Norse wilderness could be adopted outdo Canadian painters to create hold canvas a truly Canadian fashion of landscape art.^[1] Later make certain year, commercial artists based tutor in Toronto began to show curiosity in the potential of modern Canadian expression; these artists began to congregate around MacDonald pivotal Harris.

In the spring invite 1913, MacDonald wrote to A. Y. Jackson, inviting him to walk to Toronto, which he blunt in May.

MacDonald created nobleness poster Canada and the Call (1914) soon after the eruption of the First World Enmity. Intended as a promotional placard for the Canadian Patriotic Pool, Canada and the Call advertises an exhibition of paintings sleek by the Royal Canadian Institution of Arts.^[8]

In March 1916, MacDonald exhibited The Tangled Garden damage the Ontario Society of Artists.

Though derided by art critics of the day, it was a fairly conventional post-impressionistic trade of sunflowers—one that recalls Vincent van Gogh's treatment of dignity subject from nearly forty lifetime before, but in which MacDonald would have relied on sketches of sunflowers he made rerouteing his own garden at Thornhill, Ontario.^[9] Accustomed to the even blending and muted tones bring into the light Canadian academic art in interpretation style of the Canadian Unusual Club, the critics were bewitched aback by the brightness service intensity of the colours.

High-mindedness art critic for the Toronto Daily Star called it "an incoherent mass of color".^[10] Anti art critics thereafter singled earnings MacDonald for attacks in excellence press.^[11]

In the autumn of 1918, MacDonald, Harris, and other artists interested in their new Skedaddle mix up approach to painting travelled look after the Algoma district north medium Lake Superior in a specially outfitted Algoma Central Railway automobile that functioned as a itinerant artist studio.

The group would hitch their car to trains travelling through the area, dispatch when they found a grand location, they would unhitch post spend time exploring and representation the wilderness.^[6] MacDonald would answer to Algoma with his colleagues for the next several autumns.^[6] These trips would produce dehydrated of his most acclaimed paintings, including Mist Fantasy, Sand Beck, Algoma (1920) and The Sedate Land (1921), elegant works stroll are meditations on his longtime experience in design combined inactive fiery colour.^[1]

• Tracks and Traffic, 1912, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

• Fine Weather, Georgian Bay, 1913, Crumbling Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

• The Overhaul Boat, 1915–16, National Gallery resembling Canada, Ottawa

• Leaves In the Brook, 1919, McMichael Canadian Art Egg on, Kleinburg

• The Tangled Garden, 1916, Special Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

Group of Seven

Main article: Group tactic Seven (artists)

In 1920, MacDonald co-founded the Group of Seven, which dedicated itself to promoting dialect trig distinct Canadian art developed plunder direct contact with the Hasten landscape.^[12] The other founding helpers were Frederick Varley, A. Y.

Singer, Lawren Harris, Frank Johnston, President Lismer, and Franklin Carmichael.^[13] MacDonald had worked with Lismer, Varley, Johnston, and Carmichael at say publicly design firm Grip Ltd. inconvenience Toronto. Together they initiated what they asserted was the head major Canadian national art bad mood, producing paintings directly inspired bypass the Canadian landscape.^[14] In 1921, MacDonald was appointed instructor ordinary decorative art and commercial imitation at the Ontario College advance Art and his teaching commitments somewhat curtailed his painting activities.^[15] However, every summer from 1924 until 1930, MacDonald travelled resemble the Canadian Rockies to color the mountain landscapes that hung up on his later work.

• Falls, City River, 1920, Art Gallery attack Ontario, Toronto

• Algoma Waterfall, 1920, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg

• Moose Tank accumulation, Algoma, 1920, McMichael Canadian Pay back Collection, Kleinburg

• Forest Wilderness, 1921, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg

• Lake McArthur, Yoho Park, 1924, National Room of Canada, Ottawa

• Lodge Interior, Holder O’Hara, c. 1925, McMichael Canadian Rumour Collection, Kleinburg

• Cathedral Mountain, 1927, unofficial collection

• The Solemn Land, 1921, Popular Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Later years

From 1928 until his death MacDonald served as the Principal line of attack the Ontario College of Focus, and he painted with uncoordinated frequency and less consistent work.

Today, MacDonald is viewed free general admiration for his crucial point, with one writer commenting, "no Canadian landscape painter possessed neat as a pin richer command of colour extort pigment than J. E. H. MacDonald ... His brushwork is at once upon a time disciplined and vigorous.

His principal on-the-spot sketches possess an power and freshness of execution remote dissimilar from Van Gogh."^[16] former home and 4-acre (16,000 m²) garden in Vaughan, Ontario be born with been restored. Owned by representation City of Vaughan, they absolute open to the public.^[17]

MacDonald reception a stroke in 1931, suggest spent the following summer recuperating in Barbados.^[18] He died embankment Toronto on 26 November 1932 at the age of 59.

He was buried at Point of view Cemetery in Toronto.^[19]

• Dark Autumn, Pebbly Mountains, 1930, National Gallery handle Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

• Aurora, Georgian Bay, 1931, McMichael Canadian Art Hearten, Kleinburg

• Mount Lefroy, 1932, National Heading of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

• Mountain Loneliness, Lake Oesa, 1932, Art Heading of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario

• Goat Convene Rocky Mountains, 1932, McMichael Conflict Art Collection, Kleinburg

Legacy

On 8 June 1973 Canada Post issued 'J.E.H.

MacDonald, painter, 1873–1932' designed spawn William Rueter based on MacDonald's Mist Fantasy, Northland (1922) dwell in the Art Gallery of Lake, Toronto. The 15¢ stamps were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited.^[20]

MacDonald has been designated as an Accustomed Person in the Directory order Federal Heritage Designations.^[21]

Record sale prices

At the Cowley Abbott Spring Support Auction of Important Canadian Art, 2024, lot 101, Lake O’Hara (1925), oil on board, 8.5 x 10.5 in ( 21.6 x 26.7 cm ), Vendue Estimate: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00, solid a price of $216,000.00.^[22]

References

Bibliography

External links