Leonard Brooks, Large Canadian Mexican Modernist Figurative Abstract Collage Painting Landscape 1984

Description

"First Rain at San Miguel de Allende", mixed media, acrylic and collage on canvas, signed lower left, titled, signed and … more "First Rain at San Miguel de Allende", mixed media, acrylic and collage on canvas, signed lower left, titled, signed and dated 1984 verso, depicting a verdant tropical landscape with a pool with koi fish, in a n abstracted view with in an oak bullnose frame with burlap mat and gold liner, frame size: 53" x 37", canvas size: 48" x 32".

Leonard Brooks (Canadian-Mexican artist) was born in Enfield, London, England, in 1911. He emigrated to Toronto, Canada with his parents. after seeing a lecture on Canadian art by Arthur Lismer, in which the Group of Seven painter described his love for the natural beauty surrounding them he decided he was going to become a painter. He took evening art classes at the Toronto Central Technical School (c. 1928); at the Ontario College of Art for six months under Frank Johnston. He then travelled and painted in England, France, Spain and in the United States at Woodstock, New York. On his return to Canada he settled in Toronto and in 1935 married Reva Silverman. He taught drawing, painting and graphic arts at the Northern Vocational School and was active in art circles and participated in most of the major exhibitions in Canada, and the U.S. and in the Canadian Section at the 1936 World's Fair. He began painting activities on the Great Lakes around 1939, visiting various docks and many of the ships that arrived and departed from the Great Lake ports. During World War II he left his teaching post in 1943 to enlist in the Navy (RCNVR) as an Able Seaman (1943). He was promoted to Petty Officer, then to Sub-Lieutenant in August of 1944. In September was appointed Official War Artist. Overseas he went aboard warships to paint the activities of minesweepers, motor torpedo boats off the coast of Normandy, in the Channel, off the East Coast and on the aircraft carrier HMS Puncher in waters off Scotland. On his return to Canada he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
Following his army discharge he went to Mexico on a D.V.A. grant to study and decided to take up residence there with his wife Reva. The couple were early members of what became a well known colony of artists in that town, other Canadian artists such as York Wilson, Fred Taylor, Michael Forster and Fred Powell followed him there. He studied under Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros, while his wife Reva pursued photography. Their impressions of Mexico appeared in Canadian Art (Spring, 1950). Critic Rose MacDonald in the Evening Telegram wrote, "Like Siqueiros he paints in the abstract only as an exercise with a view to clarification, believing that this is the purpose of abstract painting . . . ." Since that time his figurative work evolved from abstract, to non-objective, to free-form collage acrylics with rich texture. Some of his paintings have been transposed into large tapestry works by five Mexican weavers under his direction. Leonard and Reva held a joint exhibition of their works in a number of centres including Eaton's Fine Art Galleries, Tor. (1949). Leonard Brooks has worked in a variety of media over the years including oils, acrylics, water colours, casein, duco, polymer, wax, and graphic mediums. He has written a number of books on painting techniques including: Watercolor A Challenge (1957); Oil Painting Traditional and New (1959); Wash Drawing and Casein (1961); Painting and Understanding Abstract Art (1964); Painter's Workshop (1969); Oil Painting, Basic and New Techniques (1971). He has had a lifelong love of music, is an accomplished player of the violin and has given free lessons to local Mexican children. He eventually was encouraged to head the music department at the Bellas Artes in San Miguel and as a result of his activity in music, an annual festival of chamber music is held which attracts players and listeners from around the world. He has held many solo shows during his career and his paintings have been exhibited at the following: Eaton's Fine Art Galleries, Tor.; Roberts Gallery, Tor.; the Cowie Galleries, L.A., Calif.; Childs Gal., Boston, Mass.; Ohio Univ., Athens; Kenyon College; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, San Francisco; San Antonio Biennial Interamericana, Mexico and at the 2nd Annual exhibition at San Miguel (1960) where he won 1st Prize. He is represented in the following collections: LAG, Lond., Ont.; U. Guelph; AGO, Tor.; NGC, Ott.; Can. War Museum, Ott.; Dartmouth College, N.S.; Worcester Art Museum, Mass.; Mus. of Modern Art, Mexico City; Ohio U., Athens; Slosberg Collection, Boston and in many private collections in Canada, Mexico and the United States. His teaching experience includes: Ohio U., Athens; Doon Sch. of Art, Ont.; UBC; Art Inst., San Antonio, Texas; Wells College, Aurora, N.Y. His wife Reva Silverman Brooks, began photographing his work to make a record, then gradually expanded her interest to record the Mexican people and their land. In 1952, Reva Brooks sold one of her most famous photographs, a picture of a mother grieving over her dead child, to Edward Steichen, the curator of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and in 1955 the work was included in the MOMA's The Family of Man exhibition, one of the first landmark major exhibitions of photography at the Museum of Modern Art and the Lincoln Center. Her work won admiration and endorsements from the leading names in photography, including Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and Edward Steichen. The San Francisco Museum of Art chose Reva Brooks as one of the top 50 women photographers in history.
His affiliations have been: CSGA (1936-52); ARCA (1939) now RCA; OSA (1939-57); FCA (1941); Calif. W.C. Soc. (1949); CGP (1957-63); A&L Club, Tor. Travelled in Europe (c. 1932-34) (1961); England (1944-45); Greece (1967); Italy (1971). less