Jack Leonard Shadbolt, (February 4, 1909 November 22, 1998) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

Early life

Born in

Shoeburyness Shoeburyness ( ), or simply Shoebury, is a coastal town in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England; it lies east of the city centre. It was formerly a separate town until it was absorbed into Southend in 1933. I ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Shadbolt came to Canada with his parents in April 1911. He was raised in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

. He studied at the

Art Students' League The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study fu ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(1948) and in London (1937) and Paris (1938). From 1928 to 1937, he taught in high schools in

Duncan, British Columbia Duncan is a city on southern Vancouver Island in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city in Canada by area. It was incorporated as a city in 1912. Location The city is about 45 kilometres from b ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Starting in 1938, he taught and studied with

Frederick Varley Frederick Horsman Varley (January 2, 1881 – September 8, 1969) was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven. Career Early life Varley was born in Sheffield, England, in 1881, the son of Lucy (Barstow) and Samuel James Smith Varley the 7th. He ...

at the

Vancouver School of Art The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Vancouver Schoo ...

. He married Doris Meisel in 1945 and the couple moved to

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

, a suburb of Vancouver, in 1950.

War artist

In 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Jack Shadbolt enlisted in the army.In 1944, he sketched and painted in the prisoner-of-war camp at Petawawa, Ontario. He was transferred in 1945 to London, where he served as an administrative officer for the official Canadian

War Art Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate ...

Program.

Later years

After the war, Shadbolt returned to his faculty position at the

(VSA). When he retired in 1966, he was the head of painting and drawing section. He devoted more time to paintingReid, p. 365. as well as to writing poetry which was published with his drawings in 1973 in "Mind's I: Jack Shadbolt" (McClelland and Stewart Ltd.). In 1987, Shadbolt and his wife founded the Vancouver Institute for the Visual Arts, a charitable foundation to provide grants to individuals in support of their artistic endeavours. The foundation was later renamed The Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Recognition

In 1956, works by Shadbolt along with those of Louis Archambault and

Harold Town Harold Barling Town, D.Litt (June 13, 1924 – December 27, 1990) was a Canadian artist who worked in many different media and modes, but is best known for his abstract paintings. He was a member of Painters Eleven, an abstract g ...

represented Canada at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. In 1972, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 1990, he was awarded the

Order of British Columbia The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administe ...

. Throughout his life, Shadbolt continued to advance the boundaries of his art. On 24 August 2001 Canada Post issued 'The Space Between Columns #21 (Italian), 1965, Jack Shadbolt' in the Masterpieces of Canadian art series. The stamp was designed by

Pierre-Yves Pelletier Pierre-Yves Pelletier is a graphic designer, who has designed 110 stamps for Canada Post. Pierre-Yves Pelletier is half French Canadian. He lives in Belœil, Quebec Beloeil (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal, on the So ...

based on an oil painting "'The Space Between Columns #21 (1965) by Jack Shadbolt. The $1.05 stamps are perforated 13 X 13.5 mm and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited. The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts located at Deer Lake Park was named after Jack Shadbolt and offers performing and visual arts programs for people of all ages as well as facilitates

Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edwar ...

examinations.

Selected works

* 1961 — ''Dark Gardens'' * 1961 — ''Villa in the Countryside'' * 1963 — ''Bush Pilot in Northern Sky'', mural at

Edmonton International Airport Edmonton International Airport , officially branded YEG Edmonton International Airport since 2022, is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian pro ...

* 1968 — ''In Search of Form'' * 1970 — ''Miracle Of Birds'' * 1970 — ''Man Of Symbol'' * 1970 — ''Night Fears'' * 1971 — ''Adjustable Venus'' * 1971-1972 — ''To Old Gardens'' * 1972 — ''Guardian'' * 1972 — ''Little Wolf'' * 1972 — ''Little Bride'' * 1972 — ''Daughter Of Chiefs'' * 1972 — ''Ritual Of The Arrow'' * 1972 — ''World Behind'' * 1972 — ''Place'' * 1973 — ''Mind's I'' * 1973 — ''The Way In'' * 1973 — ''Lost World'' * 1974 — ''Mystery Of Flower'' * 1974 — ''Bride'' * 1974 — ''Galaxy'' * 1974 — ''Sinbad's Voyages'' * 1974 — ''Transformations No. 3'' * 1976 — ''Variation On A Kwakiutl Ghost Mask'' * 1976 — ''India Suite'' * 1976 — ''Transformations No. 5'' * 1976-1977 — ''Lodi Gardens'' * 1976-1977 — ''Morning East'' * 1977 — ''Trees And Rock'' * 1977 — ''Erotic Landscape'' * 1977 — ''Dark Landscape'' * 1977 — ''Classic Landscape'' * 1977 — ''Mountain Summer (End Flight)'' * 1977 — ''For Vladimir'' * 1977 — ''Sea Edge Nocturne'' * 1977 — ''High Country Event'' * 1977 — ''High Range Country'' * 1977 — ''Event On The Rocks'' * 1981 — ''Act of Art''

References

Bibliography

* Reid, Dennis R. (1988). ''A Concise History of Canadian Painting.'' Toronto: Oxford University Press. ;
OCLC 18378555
* Lindberg, Ted. ''Jack Shadbolt : Seven Years.'' Vancouver Art Gallery, 1978.

External links

Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts

Jack Shadbolt: Works from the Collection of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery