[Footnote 64: Page 54.--An Art Society was founded in Upper Canada as
far back as 1841, but its exhibitions were necessarily representative
of British works of art. The present Art Association was founded in
Montreal in 1860, and the Ontario School of Arts, which is doing
excellent work, twelve years later, with its headquarters in Toronto.
The Royal Canadian Academy, mentioned in the text, was established in
1880. The influence of these and two or three minor institutions in
Canada has been on the whole in the direction of stimulating art, but
their efforts are not adequately encouraged by government or people in
the provinces.
The following is a list of the painters in oils and water colours whose
pictures now make the principal features of the annual exhibitions
in Ontario and Quebec, and the majority of whom were inadequately
represented at Chicago: F. A. Verner, whose Indian and Canadian scenes
are excellent; H. M. Matthews, who has made a high reputation for his
Rocky Mountain paintings; L. R. O'Brien, essentially the most finished
painter of picturesque Canada; T. Mower Martin, an industrious painter
of wild sports and Canadian scenery; E. Wyley Grier, who has done some
good work in portraits and natural scenery; W. Brymner, one of the
most promising younger painters of Canadian scenes: George Reid, whose
"Foreclosure of the Mortgage" is one of the best pictures produced in
the Dominion; John Hammond of St. John, N.B., a painter of water life;
Percy Woodcock, whose efforts at sketches of Canadian rural life are
praiseworthy: F. M. Bell-Smith, who has a decided artistic faculty
for the portraiture of our noblest scenery; Homer Watson, a favourite
for his rustic landscapes and romantic pastorals; J. W. L. Forster,
in some respects the best figure painter, but also capable of good
landscapes; G. Bruenech, a careful artist of scenery; Ernest Thompson,
who has made some good efforts at prairie subjects; J. C. Forbes, who
painted Mr. Gladstone's portrait, and is one of the best artists of
the class that Canada has so far known; W. Raphael and O. R. Jacobi,
two of the oldest and best known painters of Canadian landscape. To
these we must add Miss Minnie A. Bell, A. Watson, Miss Sidney S. Tully,
Mrs. M. H. Reid, J. T. Rolph, R. F. Gagen, T. C. McGillivray Knowles,
Forshaw Day, L. Huot, Mlle. Colombier, E. Dyonnet, C. Macdonald Manly,
D. P. MacKillsan, J. W. Morrice, A. D. Patterson, Miss G. F. Spurr,
F. S. Challener, Paul J. Wickson, Mrs. M. B. Screiber, W. Revell, D.
Fowler, Miss E. May Martin, Miss Laura Muntz, Miss F. M. Bell-Smith,
Miss Florence Carlyle, Miss I. M. F. Adams, Owen P. Staples, Mrs. M. E.
Dignam, Charles Alexander, W. E. Atkinson, J. C. Mills, J. A. Fraser
(in New York), Carl Ahrens, W. A. Sherwood, Miss Fannie Sutherland,
T. C. V. Ede, H. Sandham (in New York), Mr. Harvey, Mr. Cruickshank,
Mr. Seavey, A. Cox, Miss Edwards, J. Griffith, Colin Scott, J. Wilson,
James Smith, C. J. Way, F. Brownell, A. P. Coleman, R. Harris, Miss
Holden and Miss Houghton. Many of these artists, whose merits, of
course, vary much, are not native Canadians. One of the strongest
landscape painters, Mr. Matthews, is an Englishman, who has now, after
some years, thoroughly understood the light and colour of Canadian
scenery. O'Brien, Brymner, L. Huot, Forbes, Forster, Pinhey, Sidney
Tully, G. Harris, Gagen, Knowles, Watson, Alexander, A. D. Patterson,
C. M. Manly, E. May Martin and George Reid are Canadians. G. T.
Berthon, who died recently in Toronto at an advanced age, and was known
as a painter of numerous portraits, the best of which are to be seen in
Osgoode Hall, was of French origin and education. Raphael is German by
birth and education. Jacobi is a painter of the Dusseldorf school, and
was at one time employed in the court of the King of Bavaria. Bruenech
is a native, I understand, of Denmark, though educated in Canada. E.
W. Grier is an Englishman by birth and education, with a knowledge of
French art derived from study in Paris. So is Ernest Thompson, who
also studied in Paris. Mower Martin is an Englishman, educated in that
country and in Canada, with whose scenery he has been always enamoured.
Carl Ahrens was born and educated in the United States. Miss Minnie
Bell and Miss Laura Muntz are among the most promising younger artists
of Canada. Both were born and received their elementary education in
Canada. Miss Bell, after studying in Paris, is now in Montreal. Miss
Muntz is still studying in Paris. Robert Harris is a native of Prince
Edward Island. Mr. N. Bourassa, who is a French Canadian artist, has
of late years devoted himself to ecclesiastical decoration. His best
work is to be seen in the architecture and decoration of the churches
of Notre Dame de Nazareth and Notre Dame de Lourdes, in Montreal, and
he has the credit of having first applied probably in America "the art
of painting to the adornment of Christian churches in the broad and
thorough manner so common at one period in central Italy." (See Dr. S.
E. Dawson's "Handbook of Canada," Montreal, 1888, pp. 183, 184.) The
influence of the French schools of painting can be seen in the best
works of Paul Peel (now dead), Forster, Harris, Geo. Reid and John
Pinhey (born at Ottawa), all of whom have had success at the salons. At
the present time there are some twenty-five Canadians, more or less,
studying in Paris, and the majority are French Canadians. In fact, the
French schools draw students from Canada as well as from the United
States, and England is relatively ignored. The artistic temperament is
more stimulated by the _ateliers_ and the student life of Paris than
among the more business-like and cold surroundings of a student in
London. In sculpture the names are very few, Hamilton McCarthy, Hébert
and Dunbar having alone done meritorious work, but of these three
Hébert is the only native Canadian. One of the very first painters
to draw attention, years ago, to Canadian scenery, especially to the
wonderfully vivid tints of autumn, was Krieghoff, whose pictures have
been so much copied that it is difficult now to tell the originals from
the reproductions. He was, however, not a native Canadian but a Swiss
painter from the German-speaking cantons, I believe. The name of Paul
Kane (born in Toronto) will be always identified with Indian life and
customs, and as the pioneer of art in Canada. A fine collection of his
paintings is in the possession of Hon. G. W. Allan, who has always
taken an active interest in the development of art in the city of
which he has been so long an honoured citizen.
Among other Canadian artists who laboured in the commencement of art
studies in this country may be mentioned the following: Dulongpré,
Samuel Berczy, Audy, William Berczy, Vincent Zacharie Thelariolin
(Indian of Lorette, 1812-1886), Hamel, Carey, T. H. Burnett, J.
J. Girouard, P. Leber--many of whose artistic efforts are already
forgotten though their work was meritorious. With respect to Berthon,
the following note by Col. G. T. Denison, F.R.S.C., of Toronto, which I
have received since writing of the artist above, will be of interest:
"His father was a court painter under the great Napoleon, and several
of his pictures are now in Versailles. He was a Frenchman, and I think
was in Vienna when his son, my old friend, was born; for I am under
the impression Berthon told me he was born in Vienna. I think he was
brought up in France, and went to London when comparatively young,
and there set up as a portrait painter. He was induced to come out
to Canada about the year 1843 or 1844, and settled in Toronto soon
after, where he died about a year ago, over eighty years of age. He was
certainly, when in his prime, the best portrait painter we ever had
in Canada, and in my opinion was better than most of the men of great
celebrity in London to-day."
The successful artists at the World's Fair, where 113 works in all were
presented from Canada, were the following: Mr. G. Reid, whose great
picture mentioned above could not fail to attract much notice, Mr.
Harris, Mr. Ede, Miss Holden and Mr. J. A. Fraser. This is satisfactory
in view of the fact that the best work of the majority of leading
Canadian artists was not represented in the exhibition. Apart from
Mr. Reid's painting, the pictures that were signalled out for special
notice were not equal in some respects to other efforts of the same
artists that have been seen in our annual exhibitions.
In closing this note I cannot do better than give the following
judicious remarks on art in Canada, delivered before the Canadian
Institute, by an able Canadian artist, J. W. L. Forster: "The art of
Canada to-day is a mingling of elements.... The influence of the old
world may be seen in the work of many who cherish still the precepts
of their masters. Yet it is due to those who have adopted Canada as
their home to say they are as Canadian in the faithful reproduction
of the pure glories of our climate as those who first saw the sun
in our own sky. Our native artists who have studied abroad are much
inclined to paint a Canadian sky with the haze of Western Europe, and
our verdure, too, as though it grew upon foreign soil. Our art is not
Canadian.... Material is certainly not wanting, nor _motif_ of the
grander order. The first requisite is for a stronger national spirit.
Events are slowly developing this; and the signs are full of promise
in this direction. The second great need is for a museum equipped with
well-chosen specimens of the world's art. Our government and citizens
are establishing schools of industrial and fine art, yet when we would
point our pupils to examples of pure art, lo! there are none; and
when we would know what art has been, in order to discover what art
may be, we must go as exiles and pilgrims to foreign cities. A museum
that gives the best of their art history and achievement will greatly
strengthen our hope and give rein to our ambition. A third need is for
capable and generous criticism. There are many men whose discernment
and sympathies fit them eminently for the role of art critic; but as
yet journalism has not opened wide the door to advancement in such a
specialty."]