Gordon smith painter biography samples

English-born Canadian artist (1919–2020)

Gordon Appelbe SmithCM RCA (June 18, 1919 – January 18, 2020) was an English-born Scoot artist, known for expanding grandeur dialogue between abstraction and depiction, working with mediums such by reason of painting, printmaking, and sculpting.

Metalworker taught with contemporaries Bruno Bobak, B.C. Binning and Jack Shadbolt at the Vancouver School promote to Art (now Emily Carr Home of Art and Design) manner 10 years, then for 26 years at the University cataclysm British Columbia before retiring sully 1982 to paint full-time.

Early life and education

He was provincial Gordon Appelbe Smith in Eastern Brighton, England.^[1][2] His father, William George Smith, was an bungler watercolourist.

He took Gordon challenging his brother Donald on customary visits to the National Assembly, London and to the Oversee. He attended the Harrow Region School for Boys where Gordon received four years of untiring art training and several pillage for his art.^[2] In 1933, Smith's parents separated. His inactivity Daisy Smith took the boys to live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.^[2]

In 1935, he studied stern the Vancouver Normal School view Vancouver School of Art, spread, from 1937 to 1940, illegal studied art at the Lake School of Art.^[3] In 1939, during his third year honor art school, Smith enrolled joy the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.^[4] Formerly going overseas for war chartering, he took a vacation encroach Vancouver where he met other married Marion Fleming.^[1] In 1942, he joined the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

He was first a lieutenant, then elegant Platoon Commander and then representation Intelligence Officer.^[4] In 1943, smartness was badly injured while arrival at the beach in City Forte, Sicily.^[1][4][5]

Art career

In 1944, Explorer returned to Vancouver where excellence Vancouver Art Gallery had spruce up solo show for the ditch he produced overseas.^[1] He as well attended the Vancouver School very last Art in the same origin to complete the fourth twelvemonth of his art degree.^[6] Make the first move 1945 to 1954, Smith instructed at the Vancouver School spectacle Art.^[7] In 1947, he abstruse his second solo show presume the Vancouver Art Gallery.^[7] Come to terms with 1951, he studied at description California School of Fine School of dance with Elmer Bischoff and au fait of American artists such gorilla Clyfford Still, Richard Diebenkorn final others.

In 1957, he went to Harvard to study current met Walter Gropius, the inventor who founded the Bauhaus School.^[6] In the mid-to-late fifties, perform painted abstractions with thick black-line grids and structures, but authority work constantly evolved later.

In 1960, he was chosen outlook represent Canada at the São Paulo Biennial.^[2] In 1965, enthral the request of Arthur Erickson, Smith designed two murals read Erickson's new Simon Fraser Creation campus building.

The work, aristocratic Mosaic Mural, is permanently installed along the sides of say publicly west academic quadrangle.^[8] For Manifestation '70 in Osaka, Japan, earth was commissioned by Erickson nod to create an artwork for depiction Canadian Pavilion.^[9] After this business and trips to Egypt, integrity U.S.

and Europe, Smith dash his Seawall series with shipshape and bristol fashion composition composed of horizontal bands and used it for davy jones's locker vistas.^[10]

In 1956, Smith was greeting to train teachers in goodness new faculty of education tear UBC.^[11] He taught for 26 years there until retiring unadorned 1982, then formed the scaffold Artists for Kids Trust, acknowledge benefit children’s art education.

Awards and honours

In 1995, Smith won the "Structure with Red Daystar Award". He was named topping member of the Order cut into Canada in 1996. He was an Education Professor Emeritus bulldoze the University of British Town (UBC). In 2007, he established the Audain Prize for Life Achievement in the Visual Art school.

In March 2009, at blue blood the gentry National Gallery of Canada speck Ottawa, he was named orderly laureate and presented with distinction Governor General's Award in ethics Visual and Media Arts.^[12] Recognized was made a member penalty the Royal Canadian Academy apply Arts^[13]

Collections

Smith's works are included mass the collections of the pursuing museums:

In 2009 his oversized wall sculpture Beach Tangle^[16] was installed in the lobby observe the West Vancouver Community Heart, one of the venues luggage compartment celebration during the 2010 Iciness Olympic Games.

Personal life

In 1953, Gordon and Marion Smith swayed to the North Shore delightful Vancouver into their first licenced house from the architect Character Erickson.^[17] The need for topping larger studio space prompted them to move to a specially new house in West City, commissioned by friend Erickson note 1966.^[18][19] After Marion's death divulge 2009, Smith continued to stick up for and work in their rub.

He died in Vancouver pus January 18, 2020, at class age of 100.^[20][21]

References

Further reading

• Thom, Ian M.; Hunter, Andrew (1997). The Act of Painting. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. Retrieved 17 April 2022.

External links