jack shadbolt.

Canadian painter Jack Leonard Shadbolt was born on February 4, 1909 in Shoeburyness, England. Shadbolt later immigrated to Canada, ultimately settling down in Victoria, British Columbia in 1912. After having studied at Vancouver School of Arts with Frederick Varley, Jack Shadbolt went on to teach in the same school from 1938 to 1966, heading the painting and drawing section. Jack's pupils awed him and dwelled on him as an inspiration. During his tenure, his major contributions were towards the Modern Art and his work is displayed in all the major public and private collections in Vancouver and Toronto. He taught at other schools in British Columbia for almost a decade. Meanwhile, Jack also joined the Canadian Army during World War II in 1942 and was an official 'war artist.' He served the forces until 1945. Shadbolt was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1972.

The artworks of Emily Carr and the Group of Seven, along with his budding interest in sketching, inspired Shadbolt to become an artist. The other artists who influenced Jack were Spaniards Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Graham Sutherland. He however had his distinct style, wherein he managed to induct and blend the other artistic developments in his own unique ways. Shadbolt started with creating religious and landscape themes with illusory flora, and preferred the use of casein, gouache, watercolor, and ink on paper. Later on, a trip to the Mediterranean in late 1957 inspired him to graduate to the use of canvas. Shadbolt's famous piece, a vibrant red and blue triptych called "Blue Breaking," illustrates the shadowy forms of butterflies.

As Jack was graying, his paintings were constantly transforming from social pragmatism to postwar landscapes, terminating eventually to his own vision of nature. Scot Watson, a Vancouver art gallery director, summed up Shadbolt's career in his own words, "I think people will continue to find his work endlessly fascinating. His paintings offer a deep and unruly peek into the world of the psyche. We live in a disturbing century, and that's what Jack's paintings are about." He represented Canada in over 60 solo exhibitions and major retrospectives - such as the Venice and Sao Paulo Biennales, the Carnegie International at Pittsburgh, and the Brussels & Seattle World Fairs, to name a few.

Shadbolt also authored three books, In Search of Form (1968); Mind's I (1973), and Act of Art (1981). Jack Shadbolt received several honorary doctorates from the University of British Columbia (1990), the University of Alberta Canadian Artist's (1973), the University of Victoria (1973), and from the Simon Fraser University. Jack was married to Doris Shadbolt. On his 80th birthday, Shadbolt was made the Freeman of the City of Vancouver. Jack completed the innings of his life at the age of eighty-nine, in November 22, 1998, owing to heart failure.
at equinox gallery.