John Sloan Gordon (1886 - 1940)
About the Artist:
John Sloan Gordon, Artist and Educator
Principal, Hamilton Art School 1909-1932
John Sloan Gordon began teaching art in 1897 shortly after returning to Hamilton from Paris where he had been studying at the Academie Julian. He took part in organizing the Art League of Hamilton which eventually became part of the Hamilton Art School. In 1909 he became Principal of the Hamilton Art School and in 1923 was named Director of the School of Fine and Applied Arts after the amalgamation of the art school with the technical school. "Though Gordon's own art career was partially eclipsed by his pioneering work in Canadian art education and his dedication to teaching, it was a career of distinction nonetheless. When he returned from Paris in 1896 he became a 'leading representative in this country of the Impressionist school of painting'. Today he is remembered as the first Canadian exponent of Pointillism... In 1909, the National Gallery in Ottawa bought his Old Mill, Brantford, a work in oil considered to be typical of his style."
Stuart MacCuaig
Climbing the Cold White Peaks:
A survey of artists in and from Hamilton 1910-1950
About the Painting:
Pencil, with coloured chalk on card
Although Gordon received praise for his watercolours with his direct and spontaneous style, he was equaly accomplished in portraiture. He also maintained that "good design applied equally to both 'fine' and 'commercial' art", thus "for many years he contributed drawings to the Toronto Globe and Canadian Magazine."
Stuart McCuaig
Climbing the Cold White Peaks:
A survey of artists in and from Hamilton 1910-1950
