Arthur Lismer
(1885-1969)

Arthur Lismer - one of the founding members of the Group of Seven, President of the Group from 1954 to 1955, and participant at the Group's first exhibition of 1920 is one of the most prolific and important Canadian artists of the first half of the twentieth-century. Born in England in 1885, Lismer attended the Sheffield School of Art from 1898 to 1905. After apprenticing with a photo-engraving company in Sheffield, he traveled to Antwerp in 1906 to study at the Académie royale des beaux arts. He came to Canada in 1911, settling in Toronto, working in the commercial art firm of Rapid Grip and Batten Company, along with fellow artists J.E.H. MacDonald, Franklin Carmichael and Tom Thomson.

Lismer's travels into the Ontario countryside to paint began with his first trip to Georgian Bay in 1913, and his first trip to Algonquin Park with Tom Thomson in 1914. Lismer returned many times to Georgian Bay, a landscape he had a passion for. He exhibited work from this area, most notably A September Gale, in the first Group of Seven exhibition in 1920.

Lismer had a long and respected career as an educator and received many honours later in life, such as the Order of Canada, the Greer Memorial Award, a Canada Council Medal and honourary degrees from Dahousie and McGill Universities.

Arthur Lismer paintings are part of museums and private collections all over the world.

Title: "Untitled / Twisted Pine, Georgian Bay" (1942)

Medium: Oil on linen

Dimensions: Unframed: 19.75" x 15.75" (50.2cm x 40.0cm) / Framed: 25.13" x 21.13" (63.8cm x 53.7cm)

Signature: Signed and dated lower left.

Literature: The smaller painting "Twisted Pine, Georgian Bay" (12.25" x 15.12") sold at Sothebys, Toronto, Important Canadian Art (24 May 2012), Lot 92, depicting the same subject was probably a sketch Arthur Lismer used in preparation for executing this larger statement painting available at our gallery.

"Twisted Pine, Georgian Bay" (12.25" x 15.12") by Arthur Lismer - sold at Sothebys, Toronto, Important Canadian Art (24 May 2012), Lot 92

Lismer first visited Georgian Bay in 1913 at the invitation of Dr. James MacCallum. This was his first initiation to the area that he referred to as "the happy isles, all different but bound together in a common unity, form, colour and design - it is a paradise for painters". He became a regular visitor to the region and spent summer holidays with his family there from the 1920s through the 1950s. It was a source of artistic inspiration to him with its dramatic and varied landscape - the windswept pine trees, turbulent skies, sculptural rock formations, twisted trunks and intertwining foliage.

Landscapes, such as this one, capture the ruggedness that the harsh elements had upon its topography. Lismer imbues energy and drama to this canvas with his use of complex textural variations through his bold application of thick impasto, strong outlining of form, and random scratches into the paint layers. A lush colour palette unifies the composition with hues of vibrant greens, yellows, orange and reds contrasting with warm greys and browns. It is his consummate skill as a painter that brings life to the region of his beloved Georgian Bay.

The power of this painting is defined ultimately by Lismer's wind-battered evergreens that become symbols of the enduring quality of the Canadian spirit.

Condition: While the back of painting has undergone a museum quality structural treatment for conservation due to aging materials, the artwork does NOT have any inpaintings, touch ups or any other changes made to the original painting surface. The Conservation Treatment and Condition Report are available upon request.

Framed: Museum quality framed for conservation using Roma Moulding Vintage carbon black oxidized frame, spacer and Tru Vue museum glass.

Programs: For clients located in GTA, this painting is eligible for the Program of Free Approval of artworks in your home/office to simplify the decision process and also for our new Trade In Your Artwork Program.