Victor Child
Encyclopedia
Victor Llewellyn Child was a Canadian painter, etcher
and newspaper illustrator
. A senior pen-and-ink commercial artist at the Toronto Telegram
for much of his professional career, in private life he produced landscapes and portraits in watercolours and oils.
Victor Child was born in Palmerston, Ontario, and studied first in Toronto at the Ontario College of Art under George Agnew Reid, Charles Macdonald Manley (Manly) and John William Beatty
, and later in London at Heatherley's
. While in England during the First World War he served with the Royal Flying Corps
. In 1920 he joined the Canadian Society of Graphic Art, exhibiting his etchings and illustration drawings with the society in 1925–1927 and 1931–1933 at the Art Gallery of Toronto
.
The prominent Toronto printing firm Rous and Mann commissioned his work in 1927 for its Canadian Artists' series Christmas cards in company with distinguished painters such as Casson, Harris
and Varley
. Victor Child was again among these artists when in 1934 he donated work for the André Lapine Benefit exhibition chaired by Sir Wyly Grier
. During the 1920s and '30s he was on staff at the Mail & Empire
and Star Weekly
newspapers in Toronto as an illustrator. He married portrait painter Marjorie Thompson in 1928. Later, in 1940, he joined the Telegram and worked there until his death.
Child was a decidedly conservative artist. He illustrated religious subjects for the Salvation Army and the Anglican Church of Canada and worked on instructional materials for the Toronto Board of Education. For their annual shows in 1946 and 1947 he exhibited canvases with the Ontario Society of Artists
.
Perhaps the most significant moment in Canadian art history that involved Child's paintings occurred in 1959 when his work was featured in the exhibition Points of View, organized by Clare Bice
, curator of the Public Library and Art Museum in London, Ontario. At this show, visitors saw the work of the traditionalist/realist Ontario Institute of Painters, of which Child was a founding member in 1958, hung beside paintings by the Canadian modernist abstract
group Painters Eleven
. Crowds of art enthusiasts, especially at Hart House in Toronto were large. As a popularity contest in critical opinion it was perhaps a draw, but the fame of the abstract artists soon far eclipsed that of the realists. Victor Child died in Toronto on July 12 of the following year.
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
and newspaper illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. A senior pen-and-ink commercial artist at the Toronto Telegram
Toronto Telegram
The Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...
for much of his professional career, in private life he produced landscapes and portraits in watercolours and oils.
Victor Child was born in Palmerston, Ontario, and studied first in Toronto at the Ontario College of Art under George Agnew Reid, Charles Macdonald Manley (Manly) and John William Beatty
John William Beatty
John William Beatty was a Canadian painter who was a forerunner in the movement which became the Group of Seven in 1920.-Early Painting Life:...
, and later in London at Heatherley's
Heatherley School of Fine Art
The Heatherley School of Fine Art was named after Thomas Heatherley who took over as principal from James Mathews Leigh . Founded in 1845, the school is affectionately known as Heatherley's...
. While in England during the First World War he served with the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
. In 1920 he joined the Canadian Society of Graphic Art, exhibiting his etchings and illustration drawings with the society in 1925–1927 and 1931–1933 at the Art Gallery of Toronto
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
.
The prominent Toronto printing firm Rous and Mann commissioned his work in 1927 for its Canadian Artists' series Christmas cards in company with distinguished painters such as Casson, Harris
Lawren Harris
Lawren Stewart Harris, CC was a Canadian painter. He was born in Brantford, Ontario and is best known as a member the Group of Seven who pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. A. Y. Jackson has been quoted as saying that Harris provided the stimulus for the...
and Varley
Frederick Varley
Frederick Horsman Varley, also known as Fred Varley , was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven artists.-Early life:Varley was born in Sheffield, England. He studied art in Sheffield and in Belgium...
. Victor Child was again among these artists when in 1934 he donated work for the André Lapine Benefit exhibition chaired by Sir Wyly Grier
Edmund Wyly Grier
Sir Edmund Wyly Grier, RCA was a Canadian portrait painter.In 1935, he was made a Knight Bachelor.-References:...
. During the 1920s and '30s he was on staff at the Mail & Empire
The Mail and Empire
The Mail and Empire was formed from the 1895 merger of The Toronto Mail and Toronto Empire newspapers, both conservative newspapers in Toronto, Canada. The paper merged with The Globe to form the The Globe and Mail in 1936....
and Star Weekly
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
newspapers in Toronto as an illustrator. He married portrait painter Marjorie Thompson in 1928. Later, in 1940, he joined the Telegram and worked there until his death.
Child was a decidedly conservative artist. He illustrated religious subjects for the Salvation Army and the Anglican Church of Canada and worked on instructional materials for the Toronto Board of Education. For their annual shows in 1946 and 1947 he exhibited canvases with the Ontario Society of Artists
Ontario Society of Artists
Founded in 1872, the Ontario Society of Artists is Canada's oldest continuously operating art society. The list of objectives drawn up by the founding executive included 'the fostering of Original Art in the province, the holding of Annual Exhibitions, and formation of an Art Library and Museum...
.
Perhaps the most significant moment in Canadian art history that involved Child's paintings occurred in 1959 when his work was featured in the exhibition Points of View, organized by Clare Bice
Clare Bice
Clare Bice, CM was a Canadian artist, curator, and children's book author/illustrator.Born in Durham, Ontario and raised in London, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and English from the University of Western Ontario in 1928...
, curator of the Public Library and Art Museum in London, Ontario. At this show, visitors saw the work of the traditionalist/realist Ontario Institute of Painters, of which Child was a founding member in 1958, hung beside paintings by the Canadian modernist abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
group Painters Eleven
Painters Eleven
Painters Eleven was a collective of abstract artists active in Canada from 1954 to 1960.-History:...
. Crowds of art enthusiasts, especially at Hart House in Toronto were large. As a popularity contest in critical opinion it was perhaps a draw, but the fame of the abstract artists soon far eclipsed that of the realists. Victor Child died in Toronto on July 12 of the following year.