William Brymner

The Canadian painter William Brymner was born in 1855 in Scotland. He immigrated to Canada with his family in 1857. William Brymner's father was the first archivist of the Canadian Dominion. His family settled in Montreal in 1864, the young Brymner continued his studies at the Seminary of Sainte-Thérèse. He became an apprentice in a Montreal architectural firm. His family then moved to Ottawa, where Brymner was hired as a public works draftsman. Moreover, he executed a series of drawings of Quebec, commissioned by Lord Dufferin Blackwood.

William Brymner was the first Canadian to be admitted to the famous Académie Julian in Paris. He traveled for the first time to Fontaine Bleau in the summer of 1881, where he devoted himself to creating outdoor landscapes. In the summer of 1884, the Canadian painter persisted in selling more of his works in order to no longer be financially dependent on his father. The painter then settled in Yorkshire in England, during this strategic and affordable trip. He also heard that “English subjects sell much better in England than foreign subjects. "During the summer, he works on painting various paintings.” He meets several people in the community and asks local children to pose for him. Although he does not write down their names, he notes what demanding models they are: “The difficulties of painting children of the size of mine are terrible. Holding the pose for two minutes and then doing something entirely different for ten minutes almost drives me crazy sometimes, but they are more beautiful than anything, which is what keeps me going. » The presence of clouds in the painting is revealing because the artist does not work when the weather is “too sunny”. The tones are therefore soft — like a reflection of diffused light."1

In 1886, he moved to Montreal, where he taught for 35 years at the Art Association of Montreal. Among his students were the painters A.Y. Jackson and Clarence Gagnon. Brymner strives to create spaces in which artists from all disciplines can meet and exchange ideas. He was president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts for nine years. He also collaborates with the Canadian Art Club, the Pen and Pencil Club of Montreal and the Club Des Arts de Montréal. The painter traveled frequently throughout Europe and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, and set up a workshop in Saint-Eustache with the painter Maurice Cullen.

1- Jocelyn Anderson, William Brymner, sa vie son œuvre, Institut de l’art canadien, https://www.aci-iac.ca/fr/livres-dart/william-brymner/oeuvres-phares/une-gerbe-de-fleurs/