Page 22 - Studio International - December 1968

The Canadian
War Memorials
Collection at
Ottawa
Recent issues of Studio
International have treated
extensively the contemporary art
scene in Canada. Here a curator
of the National Gallery of Canada
describes a collection formed
50 years ago at the instance of
Lord Beaverbrook, and which, he
suggests, contains 'something of
the germ of the idea of the
nationalist school of painting'
of the Group of Seven.
R. F. Wodehouse
Contributors to this issue
Some fifty-one years ago, in the spring of quoted is important as an interesting com-
ment on a unique aspect of this interesting
1918, The Studio drew attention to the fact
that 'It has been reserved, however, for an venture by an independent observer of the
overseas organization to utilize the services contemporary art scene. Not for the first
of artists on a comprehensive scale for the time in his many sided and often spectacular
career had Lord Beaverbrook seized on an
purposes of establishing a permanent record
idea and put it into concrete form while
of the scenes and incidents of the great con- others were still mulling over the idea or con-
flict'. The context of this remark is a para-
graph in Studio-Talk which discusses the sidering if it were possible. On this occasion
early activities of the British war artists, such the idea was to commission some forty large
as Muirhead Bone and Orpen on the Western (some were very large indeed) allegorical
Front and James McBey in Palestine. It and decorative works suitable for display in
pointed out that their work had by then be- a monumental building. These would depict
come well known to the general public the variety of the war effort of a young
through the reproductions made available country from the 'war-baby' munitions in-
by various government departments. dustry in Canada to the exploits of her
The paragraph then goes on to state that soldiers on the fields of Flanders. To these
'some fifty well-known artists are to visit the were to be added a series of smaller works
battlefields and execute paintings on behalf depicting particular aspects of the war, to-
of the Canadian War Memorials Fund. The gether with portraits of VCs and of the great.
list includes the names of Mr Clausen, Mr The speed with which he and his colleagues
Brangwyn, Mr Orpen, Mr C. H. Shannon, of the press world, Lord Rothermere of the
Mr Augustus John, Mr D. Y. Cameron, Mr Daily Mail (also his colleague in war propa-
Julius Olsson, Mr J. W. Morrice (the well- ganda) and Sir Bertram Lima of the Daily
known Canadian painter), Sgr Ettore Tito Mirror, were able to put the venture into
(the doyen of the modern Venetian School), effect is probably because they raised and
and many others of note in the world of art, controlled their funds privately. They were
including Mrs Swynnerton and several other only dependent on governmental assistance
ladies'. for facilities for housing artists in the field.
These last words have all the earmarks of a One is tempted to say that the conduct of the
straight 'lift' from a press release put out venture epitomises the efficiency of business
from the office of that very active and publi- compared with government, were it not for
city conscious man, Lord Beaverbrook. For the example of the very effective conduct of
it was at this date that he at last got this the British War Artists Advisory Committee
important enterprise under way, namely the Scheme under Sir Kenneth Clark in the early
commissioning of the paintings known as the stages of World War II.
Canadian War Memorials now in the Be that as it may, the two other great period
National Gallery of Canada. It will be noted collections of the English-speaking world of
that the names listed are all 'safe' artists. World War I did in fact follow that of the
That is they are of men who were almost all Canadian War Memorials in time. These are
'accepted' men, part of the artistic establish- the British collection housed in the Imperial
ment of the time. No attention is drawn to War Museum in London and the Australian
those controversial Vorticists, P. Wyndham one in Canberra.
Lewis and William Roberts with their Despite its name, the Canadian War
Canadian Gun Pit and The First German Gas Memorials Collection is essentially a period
Attack at Ypres; or to some of the inde- collection of paintings by British artists. A
pendents such as Kennington (The Con- period collection because it is united by
querors, first named The Victims) and Born- theme, the first Great War of the twentieth
berg (Sappers at Work) who were to be century; by time, since most of the works
given their great opportunity to paint large were painted between 1916 and 1919 ; and
works for the first time. Nor is any mention by place, for the scenes are either in Canada
made of any of the Canadians engaged on or in Great Britain or on the continent of
the project. Europe. Much of its value today apart from
On the other hand, the first paragraph its archival value, lies in the fact that it pro-
R. F. Wodehouse is curator of the war collection at David Thompson, formerly art critic for The Times,
the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. writes regularly for Queen and Studio International.
John Sharkey, Dublin-born writer and poet, has Andrew Forge is head of the Painting Department
had visual poetry in numerous international exhibi- at Goldsmith's College.
tions. He is a regular contributor to Control magazine
and editor of Structure, and his book on British Wieland Schmied is director of the
concrete poetry is shortly to be published. Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover.