William Arthur Winter (Canadian, 1909-1996) OSA, RCA
‘Morning (Boy with Apple)’
oil on artistboard
(actual) 10 1/4″ high x 7 3/4″ wide
(framed) 14 1/2″ high x 12 1/4″ wide
“I paint with a great deal of nostalgia. I paint my own boyhood.” ~ William Arthur Winter
Charming and thoughtful Expressionist/Social Realist genre oil on board painting by well known Canadian artist William Arthur Winter (1909-1996), member of the OSA (Ontario Society of Art) and the RCA (Royal Canadian Academy). An appropriate signature is found bottom left, ‘WINTER’ and it retains the original and early gallery label verso from Roberts Gallery (est. 1842) & the original label from the artist’s personal studio. The gallery label & studio label titles the painting, ‘Morning’, by ‘William Winter’ with the original mid-century asking price, c. 1950s.
Depicted sitting at a table is a young boy, wearing a sleeveless undershirt, peeling an apple with a knife over a large bowl. The bowl and the large pitcher to the right sit on a bright red tabletop. Immediately behind is an open window with billowing drapes, behind which a railing can be seen. the rising morning sun provides back illumination. The child exudes a remarkable sense of calmness, a peaceful moment before the start of the day.
“A timeless psychological study [of youth].” ~Constance MacKay
Artist Biography: WINTER, William Arthur (Canadian, 1909-1996) Born in Winnipeg and working living in Toronto from the 1940s onwards, Winter became known in the 1950s for his lively city scenes, many depicting children in a modern realist style. His subjects also inlucde, portraits, figures and the prarie landscape. He painted in oil, acrylic, and watercolour, and drew with pencil and coloured chalk. STUDIED: Winnipeg School of Art (1923-1929) under John Lionel LeMoine Fitzgerald. COMMERCIAL WORK: Brigdens, Winnipeg; Wookey, Winter, Bush (1942-1955) personal advertising firm started alongside Lesley Wookey and Jack Bush; INDEPENDANT WORK: Artist (1955-1996); Canadian Pacific Rail; Robert S. McLaghlin Public Library, Oshawa; Standard Iron and Steel Company; Children’s Aid Society, Toronto; Seagrams Ltd. PUBLIC WORK: Ontario College of Art, Teacher; Artist’s Workshop, Toronto, Teacher. SELECTED EXHIBITIONS: Roberts Gallery (‘59,60,62,63,65,67,69,71,
73,75,77,79,81,83,85,87,89,91,93); Gallery Walter Klinkhoff (every 2 yrs.); Wells Gallery, Ottawa, (1970, 74); Upstairs Gallery, Winnipeg (1972); Galerie Gavreau, Montreal, QC (1972); Kensington Fine Art Gallery, Calgary. SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS: Canadian Group of Painters (1945); Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1945-1953); Canadian Pictures 1951, Vancouver Art Gallery (1983). SELECTED COLLECTIONS: National Gallery of Canada; Art Gallery of Ontario; Vancouver Art Gallery; Art Gallery of Hamilton; London Regional Art Gallery; Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa; National Gallery of Auckland, New Zealand; Brock University, St. Catharines; Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand; London Regional Art Gallery, London; Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario; and many more coillections, public & private. SELECTED AWARDS: JWL FOrster Award, Ontario SOciety of Artists (1943); SELECTED MEMBERSHIPS: Manitoba Society of Artists, Member (1934); Ontario Society of Artists, Member (1938); Canadian SOciety of Painters in Watercolour, Member, Treasurer (1945) President (1946-48); Canadian Group of Painters (1945); Royal Academy of Arts (1953). (Source: Many thanks to Parker and MacDonald!)
