Bright Land: A Warm Look at Arthur Lismer

by Arthur Lismer (Artist), Lois Darroch, Walter Klinkoff (Introduction)

Art Lismer was the greatest Canadian art educator of his time. He pioneered the field of child art education. This book will bring back a flood of memories to thousands of Lismer's students, friends, and associates. This book introduces the full scope of Lismer's work within the whirling evolution of twentieth-century Canadian art.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Arthur Lismer (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English born-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator.

Lismer immigrated to Canada in 1911, settled in Toronto, Ontario, and took a job with Grip Ltd. a graphic art firm, where he met painter, Tom Thomson.

In 1916, Lismer moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia to serve as the Principal of the Victoria School of Art and Design (now NSCAD University)

In wartime Halifax, Lismer was inspired by the shipping & naval activity of the port, notably the dramatically painted dazzle camouflaged ships with their patterns of curved and zigzag lines designed to mislead German U-boats and submarines.
Lismer's work came to the attention of Lord Beaverbrook who arranged for Lismer to be commissioned as an official war artist.

He returned to Toronto in 1919 where he was appointed vice-principal of the Ontario College of Art. Lismer helped found the Group of Seven, whose work contributed to the process of giving Canada a distinctive national voice in painting.

Reviews

[Anne White · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a deeper look at Lismer's life and work, this is a good one, with lots of colour plates and a timeline at the end.