Jack Leonard Shadbolt
The Beach at Night: Collioure, 1957
Oil on canvas
60 x 81.3 cm
Sarnia Industries Art Fund Purchase, 1959
Jack Shadbolt was born in Essex County, England and in 1912 his family immigrated to Canada. He began his artistic studies at Victoria College in 1927. In 1930 he met Emily Carr, who would become a lifelong influence.
His gradual disillusionment with the Group of Seven combined with the arrival of World War II caused his practice to shift towards social realism. After enlisting in the Canadian Army in 1942, Shadbolt worked for the War Art Administration office until the end of the war in 1945. He returned to Canada to teach at the Vancouver School of Art, and was a lifetime supporter of the arts in Canada.