ArtISTS FROM THE PAST
who inspire me
Here are some of the artists or types of artwork that inspire me. Some I have loved since before my days as an art history graduate student. Some are more recent. You may think my work is completely different but that's good. I'm not saying I work in their styles. Some worked in totally different media. There are printmakers and painters with some CanCon, European and Eastern examples.
ERIC RAVILIOUS
(1903 – 1942) was a British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver. I love his watercolours of his native England. The texture of this work is particularly lovely.
JAPANESE WOODCUTS
Japanese Woodcuts were very inspirational to the Impressionists (see further down). You'll notice that I love these for their flat use of colour and their asymmetrical composition.
ALEX KATZ
As of writing Alex Katz is still very much alive and working in his 90s. I admire his work for the similar reasons I admire the Japanese artists.
REMBRANDT VAN RIJN
I still remember the course I took on Rubens and Rembrandt in undergrad and I especially loved studying Rembrant's use of line in his etchings as well as the lighting of his paintings.
WALTER J PHILLIPS
(1884-1963) was born in England and died and worked in Canada. I love his watercolours and prints - very much inspired by Japanese woodcuts. I actually have a very small woodcut.
IMPRESSIONISTS AND POST-IMPRESSIONISTS
Didn't everyone loves the impressionists in their childhood? And yes, images by these artists are used on everything from umbrellas to mousepads but I still love seeing them in a museum.
SYBIL ANDREWS
(1898-1992) was born in England and worked and died in Canada. Yes more woodcuts! I love the sense of movement in her prints and that they are so of the art deco age - another favourite.
L.S. LOWRY
(1887-1976) Lowry painted scenes of life around him in the industrial districts in and around Manchester in the mid-20th century. It reminds me of urban sketching. Many are crowded with so-called matchstick men and I love looking at them and discovering something different with each viewing.
CANALETTO
or Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768). Talk about early urban sketching! Many of his sweeping landscapes are of his native Venice but he also painted in England.
RENÉ MAGRITTE
(1898-1967) was a Belgian Surrealist painter. I'm not keen on the Surrealists themselves but again it's his style of painting that got me hooked. I love the simplification of his line, colour and composition.
DAVID BLACKWOOD
(1941-2022) More Canadian content. Blackwood was a master printmaker originally from Wesleyville, Newfoundland. His work is just incredible. Many are absolutely huge and I had the pleasure of seeing the original plates when I worked at the AGO.
LAWREN HARRIS
(1885-1970) Yes more Canadian content and yes the Group of Seven get mentioned. However, after years of being in and out of the auction business and how much it is rammed down Canadian throats as the only true Canadian painting, I'm a bit fed up of all the trees and rock paintings. Unpopular opinion. But I do still live Harris' images of Toronto. Again, sort of like urban sketching.
DAVID HOCKNEY
Yes, David Hockney is still very much alive at time of writing. I've become more and more fascinated by him as you'll note in my art book reviews. I love how much he has studied the whole art process and worked in various media always transforming his art and even exploring digital art.
JMW TURNER
(1775-1851) was one of the first artists who really explored the media of watercolour, using it in expressive ways. He also used the media as an art form itself rather than merely as a study aid. I just love how loose and beautiful his watercolours are.
JOHANNES VERMEER
(1632-1675) Vermeer in his short life excelled at the domestic interior. These are just beautiful - at once beautifully quiet but full of life as well or story. I especially love this particular outdoor scene.
DUTCH STILL LIFE
I realize how much I love Dutch art. I did do a few classes in undergrad and grad school. I've always loved still life painting itself and the Dutch were amazing at it. These were full of symbolism and realistic touches.
MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS
I also did many medieval courses while at University of Toronto and I was particularly drawn to manuscripts especially the quirky marginalia or landscapes in books of hours.
POSTER ART
I love the great poster art especially starting with Toulouse-Lautrec and into the early 20th Century. See above but there are many influences like Japanese printmaking that I also love. I always pop into the London Transport Museum because of love old Underground posters.