Canadian official war artists
Encyclopedia
Canadian official war artists create a visual account of war by showing its impact as men and women are shown waiting, preparing, fighting, suffering, celebrating, These were a select group of artists who were employed on contract, or commissioned to produce specific works during the First World War, the Second World War and select military actions in the post-war period.
A war artist
will have depicted some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how war shapes lives. The devastation of war is depicted in art quite differently than a camera can achieve.
The works produced by war artists illustrate and record many aspects of war, and the individual's experience of war, whether allied or enemy, service or civilian, military or political, social or cultural. The rôle of the artist and his work embraces the causes, course and consequences of conflict and it has an essentially educational purpose. Official war artists have been appointed by governments for information or propaganda purposes and to record events on the battlefield; but there are many other types of war artist.
. In the First World War, Canada developed an official art program under the influence of Lord Beaverbrook. He provided leadership in creating the Canadian War Records Office in London. He also established the Canadian War Memorials Fund which evolved into a collection of war art by artists and sculptors in Britain and Canada. Some of these were considered "official" war artists. For example, the English artist Alfred Munnings
was employed as war artist
to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. Munnings painted many scenes, including a mounted portrait of General Jack Seely Warrior in 1918 (now in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada
, Ottawa). Munnings worked on this canvas a few thousand yards from the German front lines. When General Seely's unit was forced into a hasty withdrawal, the artist discovered what it was like to come under shellfire.
Munnings also painted Charge of Flowerdew's Squadron in 1918 (now in the collection of the Canadian War Museum
, Ottawa). In what is known as "the last great cavalry charge" at the Battle of Moreuil Wood
, Gordon Flowerdew
was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross
for leading Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
in a successful engagement with entrenched German forces.
The Canadian Forestry Corps
invited Munnings to tour their work camps, and he produced drawings, watercolors and paintings, including Draft Horses, Lumber Mill in the Forest of Dreux in France in 1918. This role of horses was critical and under-reported; and in fact, horse fodder
was the single largest commodity shipped to the front by some countries.
The "Canadian War Records Exhibition" at the Royal Academy after war's end included forty-five of Munnings canvasses.
Another example of a war artist embedded with Canadian forces was the Belgian soldier-artist Alfred Bastien
whose work is part of the permanent collection of the Canadian War Museum.
There was a general appreciation of the need to develop what "the camera cannot interpret." The government recognized that "a war so epic in its scope by land, sea and air, and so detailed and complex in its mechanism, requires interpreting [by artists] as well as recording." On the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the war artists were recognized and addressed directly in a Ceremony of Remembrance in the Canadian Senate,
A war artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
will have depicted some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how war shapes lives. The devastation of war is depicted in art quite differently than a camera can achieve.
The works produced by war artists illustrate and record many aspects of war, and the individual's experience of war, whether allied or enemy, service or civilian, military or political, social or cultural. The rôle of the artist and his work embraces the causes, course and consequences of conflict and it has an essentially educational purpose. Official war artists have been appointed by governments for information or propaganda purposes and to record events on the battlefield; but there are many other types of war artist.
First World War
Representative works by Canada's war artists have been gathered into the extensive collection of the Canadian War MuseumCanadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum covers all facets of Canada’s military past, from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several thousand years ago to the country’s most recent...
. In the First World War, Canada developed an official art program under the influence of Lord Beaverbrook. He provided leadership in creating the Canadian War Records Office in London. He also established the Canadian War Memorials Fund which evolved into a collection of war art by artists and sculptors in Britain and Canada. Some of these were considered "official" war artists. For example, the English artist Alfred Munnings
Alfred Munnings
Sir Alfred James Munnings KCVO, PRA was known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken enemy of Modernism...
was employed as war artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. Munnings painted many scenes, including a mounted portrait of General Jack Seely Warrior in 1918 (now in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
, Ottawa). Munnings worked on this canvas a few thousand yards from the German front lines. When General Seely's unit was forced into a hasty withdrawal, the artist discovered what it was like to come under shellfire.
Munnings also painted Charge of Flowerdew's Squadron in 1918 (now in the collection of the Canadian War Museum
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum covers all facets of Canada’s military past, from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several thousand years ago to the country’s most recent...
, Ottawa). In what is known as "the last great cavalry charge" at the Battle of Moreuil Wood
Battle of Moreuil Wood
The Battle of Moreuil Wood was an engagement of World War I that took place on the banks of the Arve River in France, where the Canadian Cavalry Brigade attacked and forced the German 23rd Saxon Division to withdraw from Moreuil Wood, a commanding position on the river bank...
, Gordon Flowerdew
Gordon Flowerdew
Gordon Muriel Flowerdew VC was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, received for his actions at the Battle of Moreuil Wood.-Details:He was 33 years old, and...
was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for leading Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of Land Force Western Area's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group...
in a successful engagement with entrenched German forces.
The Canadian Forestry Corps
Canadian Forestry Corps
The Canadian Forestry Corps was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army with its own cap badge, and other insignia and traditions.The Canadian Forestry Corps was created 14 Nov 1916. The crest of the Canadian Forestry Corps consists of a circle, with a beaver on top, superimposed on a pair of...
invited Munnings to tour their work camps, and he produced drawings, watercolors and paintings, including Draft Horses, Lumber Mill in the Forest of Dreux in France in 1918. This role of horses was critical and under-reported; and in fact, horse fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
was the single largest commodity shipped to the front by some countries.
The "Canadian War Records Exhibition" at the Royal Academy after war's end included forty-five of Munnings canvasses.
Another example of a war artist embedded with Canadian forces was the Belgian soldier-artist Alfred Bastien
Alfred Bastien
Alfred Théodore Joseph Bastien was a Belgian artist, academic and soldier.He attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Ghent, where he studied with Jean Delvin. He then enrolled in the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where he studied with Jean-François Portaels. He won the Prix...
whose work is part of the permanent collection of the Canadian War Museum.
Second World War
The Canadian War Records (CWR) was the name given to Canada's Second World War art program. The CWR produced two kinds of art: field sketches and finished paintings. The War Artists' Committee (WAC) recommended that the artists should attempt to share in the experience of "active operations" in order to "know and understand the action, the circumstances, the environment, and the participants." The ultimate goal was defined as "productions" which were "worthy of Canada's highest cultural traditions, doing justice to History, and as works of art, worthy of exhibition anywhere at any time."There was a general appreciation of the need to develop what "the camera cannot interpret." The government recognized that "a war so epic in its scope by land, sea and air, and so detailed and complex in its mechanism, requires interpreting [by artists] as well as recording." On the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the war artists were recognized and addressed directly in a Ceremony of Remembrance in the Canadian Senate,
Recent Conflicts
From 1946 to 2011 over 70 civilian artists have participated in documenting the Canadian Forces. This was initially supported by the Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (CAFCAP) and more recently by the Canadian Forces Artist Program headed by Dr. John MacFarlane "First World War
- John William BeattyJohn William BeattyJohn William Beatty was a Canadian painter who was a forerunner in the movement which became the Group of Seven in 1920.-Early Painting Life:...
, 1869-1941. - Maurice CullenMaurice Galbraith CullenMaurice Galbraith Cullen was a Canadian artist.Cullen was born June 6, 1866 in St. John's, Newfoundland.-War artist:Beginning in January 1918, Cullen served with Canadian forces in the First World War. He came to the attention of Lord Beaverbrook, who arranged for him to be commissioned as an...
, 1866-1934. - Kenneth ForbesKenneth ForbesKenneth Keith Forbes was a Canadian landscape and portrait painter.Born in Toronto, Ontario, Forbes was the son of John Colin Forbes also an artist. The younger Forbes had obtained a scholarship at the Hospital Field Art School, Arbroath, Scotland...
, 1892-1980. - Alexander Young Jackson, 1882–1974.
- C.W. Jefferys, 1869-1951.
- Wyndham LewisWyndham LewisPercy Wyndham Lewis was an English painter and author . He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art, and edited the literary magazine of the Vorticists, BLAST...
, 1882-1957. - Arthur LismerArthur 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...
, 1885-1969. - David MilneDavid Milne (artist)David Milne, was a Canadian painter, printmaker, and writer.- Biography :David Milne was born in the southwestern Ontario village of Burgoyne in 1882. He was the last of 10 children born to Scottish immigrant parents...
, 1882-1953. - Charles Walter SimpsonCharles Walter SimpsonCharles Walter Simpson was a Canadian artist.Simpson was born in Montreal, Quebec.-War artist:Beginning in January 1918, he served with Canadian forces in the First World War. Simpson came to the attention of Lord Beaverbrook, who arranged for him to be commissioned as an "official war artist"...
, 1878-1942. - Frederick VarleyFrederick VarleyFrederick Horsman Varley, also known as Fred Varley , was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven artists.-Early life:Varley was born in Sheffield, England. He studied art in Sheffield and in Belgium...
, 1881-1969.
Second World War
- Miller BrittainMiller BrittainMiller Gore Brittain was a Canadian artist from New Brunswick.He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. Brittian studied art with Elizabeth Russell Holt in Saint John and Harry Wickey in New York City. In 1932, he returned to Saint John, where he worked at clerical and construction jobs and opened...
, 1912–1968. - Alan Brockman Beddoe, 1893–1975.
- Molly Lamb BobakMolly Lamb BobakMolly Lamb Bobak, is a prolific Canadian teacher, writer, printmaker and painter working in oils and watercolours. During World War II, she was the first Canadian woman artist to be sent overseas to document Canada’s war effort, and in particular, the work of the Canadian Women's Army Corps...
, 1922– . - Frank Leonard BrooksFrank Leonard Brooks-Biography:Born in London, England, Brooks arrived in Canada in 1912. Primarily self-taught, he did study at the Ontario College of Art and taught at the Central Technical School. He became an associate member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1939....
, 1911– . - Paraskeva ClarkParaskeva ClarkParaskeva Clark was a Canadian painter born in St. Petersburg, Russia and a member of the Canadian Group of Painters.-Early years:...
, 1898–1986. - David Alexander Colville, 1920– .
- Charles Fraser Comfort, 1900–1994.
- Robert Stewart HyndmanRobert Stewart HyndmanRobert Stewart Hyndman, was a distinguished Canadian portrait and landscape artist based in the National Capital Region. His career spanned more than 70 years.-Early life:...
, 1915–2009. - Pegi Nicol MacLeodPegi Nicol MacLeodPegi Nicol MacLeod, , was a Canadian artist. Born Margaret Kathleen Nicol, she was part of the first wave of Canadian modernist painters. She was born in Listowel, Ontario and was a pupil of Franklin Brownell in Ottawa. She later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. In 1932 she won the...
, 1904–1949. - Jack Nichols, 1921–2009.
- William Abernethy Ogilvie, 1901–1989
- Goodridge RobertsGoodridge RobertsWilliam Goodridge Roberts was a Canadian painter known for his landscape paintings and unassuming still lifes and interiors.Goodridge Roberts was the son of poet and novelist Theodore Goodridge Roberts and Frances Seymour Allen...
, 1904–1974. - Jack ShadboltJack ShadboltJack Leonard Shadbolt, OC, OBC was a Canadian painter.-Early life:Born in Shoeburyness, England, Shadbolt came to Canada with his parents in 1912...
OCOrder 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...
OBCOrder of British ColumbiaThe Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour...
, 1909-1998. - Geoffrey BagleyGeoffrey BagleyGeoffrey Spink Bagley was a British artist, museum curator, politician, historian and Writer.-Official war artists :In 1942, the Wartime Information Board and the National Film Board of Canada hired Bagley as a graphic artist...
, 1901-1992.
Further reading
- Gallatin, Albert Eugene. Art and the Great War. (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1919).
- Gillis, Raina-Clair. "Artistic Impressions of War," Canadian Military Journal.
- Oliver, Dean Frederick, and Laura Brandon (2000). Canvas of war: painting the Canadian experience, 1914 to 1945. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 1550547720
- Tippett, Maria, 1944. Art at the service of war: Canada, art, and the great war. Toronto; Buffalo: University of Toronto Press.
External links
- Kandahar Journal Contemporary war artist Richard Johnson in Kandahar, Afghanistan
- Painting to Afghanistan Painter Christopher Hennebery embedded with Canadian Forces, Afghanistan