Toronto In Art

[CanadianNational]

In addition to photographs and videos, I thought it might be interesting to post paintings, drawings and artwork - images that aren't just "factual" - of various types that feature Toronto in it.

These pics below are all from the City Of Toronto archives.

Queen Street West
Allen Rutherford Wilber

Stone Yard Remains, Back of Price Street
Ernest Conyers Barker
1932

St. Lawrence Market
Leonard Brooks

Back Alley, Bay and Dundas
Jack Hamilton Bush
1930

Snow in the Junk Yard on Price Street
Ernest Conyers Barker
1932

Ernest Conyers Barker
Chinese Laundry, Yonge and Price Streets
1931

The Gay Yellow Awnings
Marion Long
circa 1931

Marion Long
Looking Down Bay Street
1934

E. Jastram
Untitled (Behind The Armouries)

Old Store, Sydenham and Parliament Streets
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Queen Street West, near Spadina Avenue
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Ontario Street North of Queen Street East
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sherbourne Street
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Lane Back Of Bright Street
Clarence Roy Greenaway

War News, King and Frederick Streets
Clarence Roy Greenaway
1944

"House of Nonsense", Dundas and Markham Streets
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Corner Of Chestnut Street
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Carlton Street
Clarence Roy Greenaway

Behind Robert Street
Albert Jacques Franck
1967

 

[CanadianNational]

Greg Curnoe:

William Kurelek:

Others...

Elizabeth Street, Toronto
Peter Clapham Sheppard
1929

Building Of Victory Mills, Toronto Harbour
Bernice Fenwick Martin

College Street Before Rush Hour
Arto Yuzbasiyan

 

[CanadianNational]

A good book to reference:

Toronto in art: 150 years through artists' eyes
by Edith G Firth. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1983.

 

[thecharioteer]

Great idea for a thread. A few of my favourites:

"Lights of the City" by Bell-Smith 1894 (King and Yonge):

"Old Houses" by Lawren Harris 1912:

"The Gas Works" by Lawren Harris 1912:

"The Corner Store" by Lawren Harris 1912:

"Old Houses Wellington Street" by Lawren Harris 1910:

 

[androiduk]

Great thread CN. Are all those scenes by Greenaway in your first post in Toronto? I don't recognize them at all.

 

[androiduk]

Great idea for a thread. A few of my favourites:

"Lights of the City" by Bell-Smith 1894 (King and Yonge):

One of my favourite Toronto paintings. Let's hope it survives the renos at the Bay on Queen and remains on public display.

 

[thecharioteer]

Another "painting" of Toronto, a chromolithograph of Toronto in the TPL:

 

[Goldie]

I absolutely adore this one by William Kurelek - Balsam Avenue After Heavy Snowfall - 1972
I've wanted to do a "Then & Now" using this painting since I first saw it, but that may be difficult to accomplish.
I challenge anyone to beat me to it! Summer or winter, doesn't matter.

 

[thecharioteer]

Paintings by the late Christiane Pflug of Cottingham PS (late 60's, early 70's):

http://www.christianepflug.com/index.html

 

[EVCco]

"Old Houses" by Lawren Harris 1912:

"The Gas Works" by Lawren Harris 1912:

"The Corner Store" by Lawren Harris 1912:

"Old Houses Wellington Street" by Lawren Harris 1910:

^A great depictor of Toronto's "Unplanned Suburbs" from the early 20th century (also the title of a great book by Richard Harris featuring other Lawren Harris paintings such as these):

January Thaw, Edge of Town, 1921

Outskirts of Toronto, 1919

...and here's an interesting excerpt from the book regarding Harris' subject matter.

 

[thecharioteer]

Very interesting book, EVCco. Thanks for the link.

Here's another Bell-Smith painting "Queens Park Off to Front" 1914, from the Roberts Gallery website:

 

[kelly22]

Absolutely fantastic historical photos! Thanks for your sharing these pics!

 

[junctionist]

Absolutely fantastic historical photos! Thanks for your sharing these pics!

I agree, these have been great. I wish that we could have a prominent gallery dedicated to the subject, like in a future museum dedicated to the city.

 

[thecharioteer]

I agree, these have been great. I wish that we could have a prominent gallery dedicated to the subject, like in a future museum dedicated to the city.

Particularly since most of the best paintings are already owned by the City and already in City Hall:

 

[thecharioteer]

Some others:

Castle Frank by Owen Staples 1917: