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Arthur Lismer

Arthur Lismer was a man of considerable energy - a gregarious, outgoing individual, always ready with a witty or caustic remark. Nothing delighted him more than taking a crack at the establishment or at anything that hinted at pretension. Speaking of Tom Thomson, he once said, "If the country's half as stirring as Tom's sketches seem to indicate, in Heaven's name why are so many Canadians always talking about their stomachs, their money?... Where's the romantic spirit, the philosophic spirit?"

This ‘‘spirit' and energy made Lismer fight against the apathy and ignorance of the public towards the world of art. He did this by dividing his time between painting and teaching. In 1916, he began his lifelong career in teaching, as principal of an art school in Halifax a career that took him all over Canada and the world. In his teaching, Lismer's passion was devoted to children's art, and in his painting it was the Canadian landscape. In both cases, he went at the task in a bold, colourful way.

Sunglow (1915)

Canadian Jungle
"Canadian Jungle is a good example of Lismer's later style. The technique is intentionally crude, for Lismer wanted to convey a sensation of disordered and burgeoning growth. Almost all of the canvas is covered with a mass of twisted vegetation and writhing forest undergrowth, with almost no unifying spatial organization. Forms are only vaguely defined, and discordant colours are spread over the whole canvas with little relief for the eye."(1)

At the age of thirteen, Lismer won an entrance scholarship to the Sheffield School of Art and began what was, to most people, a seven year apprenticeship towards becoming a silver craftsman. Unhappy and feeling too confined in England, he went to Antwerp for a year and a half to study at the Academie Royal des Beaux-Arts. At first influenced by the Barbizon ("cow") school, Lismer was later deeply moved by the Post-Impressionist works, especially of VanGogh. Back in Sheffield, Lismer struggled as a commercial artist and soon decided to head for Canada, where he had heard commercial artists were doing extremely well.

Cathedral Mountain (1928)
Lismer emigrated from Sheffield, England in 1911, at the age of 26, and gained employment at the Toronto commercial design firm, Grip Ltd., where he met other future members of the Group. He was one of the four employees, who later formed the Group of Seven, to leave work for Rous and Mann printing house in 1912. In the years preceding 1920, Lismer joined the other artists, including Tom Thomson, on numerous sketching trips to Algonquin Park, Georgian Bay, Algoma and Lake Superior in northern Ontario.

Although he continued to paint throughout his lifetime, Arthur Lismer had a strong commitment to teaching. While working at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario) and later at the Art Association of Montreal (now the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) he established one of the most successful children's art programs in North America. In 1936 he was invited to set up school programs in South Africa. Lismer was an active promoter of the Group of Seven and the author of many articles on Canadian art.

"Art," he felt "is the common denominator of union between men more than race, creed, history or personality. Art binds us together more than any other human activity in life."(2)

1 Peter Mellen, The Group of Seven, p. 195
2 ibid., p. 134

Last Update: June 1, 2001
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© 1997-2002 The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa

Arthur Lismer was a man of considerable energy - a gregarious, outgoing individual, always ready with a witty or caustic remark. Nothing delighted him more than taking a crack at the establishment or at anything that hinted at pretension. Speaking of Tom Thomson, he once said, "If the country's half as stirring as Tom's sketches seem to indicate, in Heaven's name why are so many Canadians always talking about their stomachs, their money?... Where's the romantic spirit, the philosophic spirit?"
This ‘‘spirit' and energy made Lismer fight against the apathy and ignorance of the public towards the world of art. He did this by dividing his time between painting and teaching. In 1916, he began his lifelong career in teaching, as principal of an art school in Halifax a career that took him all over Canada and the world. In his teaching, Lismer's passion was devoted to children's art, and in his painting it was the Canadian landscape. In both cases, he went at the task in a bold, colourful way.	Sunglow (1915)
Canadian Jungle	"Canadian Jungle is a good example of Lismer's later style. The technique is intentionally crude, for Lismer wanted to convey a sensation of disordered and burgeoning growth. Almost all of the canvas is covered with a mass of twisted vegetation and writhing forest undergrowth, with almost no unifying spatial organization. Forms are only vaguely defined, and discordant colours are spread over the whole canvas with little relief for the eye."(1)
At the age of thirteen, Lismer won an entrance scholarship to the Sheffield School of Art and began what was, to most people, a seven year apprenticeship towards becoming a silver craftsman. Unhappy and feeling too confined in England, he went to Antwerp for a year and a half to study at the Academie Royal des Beaux-Arts. At first influenced by the Barbizon ("cow") school, Lismer was later deeply moved by the Post-Impressionist works, especially of VanGogh. Back in Sheffield, Lismer struggled as a commercial artist and soon decided to head for Canada, where he had heard commercial artists were doing extremely well.
Cathedral Mountain (1928)	Lismer emigrated from Sheffield, England in 1911, at the age of 26, and gained employment at the Toronto commercial design firm, Grip Ltd., where he met other future members of the Group. He was one of the four employees, who later formed the Group of Seven, to leave work for Rous and Mann printing house in 1912. In the years preceding 1920, Lismer joined the other artists, including Tom Thomson, on numerous sketching trips to Algonquin Park, Georgian Bay, Algoma and Lake Superior in northern Ontario.
Although he continued to paint throughout his lifetime, Arthur Lismer had a strong commitment to teaching. While working at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario) and later at the Art Association of Montreal (now the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) he established one of the most successful children's art programs in North America. In 1936 he was invited to set up school programs in South Africa. Lismer was an active promoter of the Group of Seven and the author of many articles on Canadian art. "Art," he felt "is the common denominator of union between men more than race, creed, history or personality. Art binds us together more than any other human activity in life."(2) 1 Peter Mellen, The Group of Seven, p. 195 2 ibid., p. 134

1 Peter Mellen, The Group of Seven, p. 1952 ibid., p. 134

1 Peter Mellen, The Group of Seven, p. 195
2 ibid., p. 134