Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Griffith, Julius |
Title |
Artist Workshop, The Painting Class, Sherbourne Street |
Accession # |
005.20.351 |
Object Type |
Painting |
Date |
c.1955 |
Medium |
oil |
Support |
canvas |
Dimensions |
H-66 W-48.3 cm |
Description |
Julius Griffith was born in Vancouver, British Columbia where he studied at the Vancouver School of Art. Further studies were interrupted by the outbreak of WWII. During the war he worked with the "Air-raid Precautions" for a time and eventually joined the Red Cross. In 1941 to 1942 he worked in a country-house hospital in Sussex. With little to do , he taught art, learned Russian, and eventually joined the Royal Navy. Upon his return to Canada, he quickly established himself as a graphic artist and wood engraver. He later studied in Toronto at the Ontario College of Art with Frederick Hagen. The AGM's Permanent Collection holds several of Griffith's distinctive linocut prints, along with a few paintings. The simplicity of his compositions imbues his work with a sense of innocence and an unclouded appreciation of the beauty to be found in an everyday scene. In painting, he renders country landscapes in soft, clear colours in bold compositions. Biographical Information: Griffith taught art in Toronto at the Western Technical School, Artists' Workshop, Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, Ontario College of Art, and at Central Technical School. Julius Griffith was a painter in watercolour and oils, a graphic artist, illustrator, teacher, and fine print maker. His work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Canadian War Museum, Imperial War Museum (London), Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto City Archives, Toronto Public Library, Art Gallery of Hamilton, McMaster University (Hamilton), Carleton University (Ottawa), Glenbow Museum (Calgary), Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (British Columbia), and numerous corporate and private collections. In 1997, the artist passed away at his home in Toronto. |