Beech Woods | Fred Haines
Sampson-Matthews Ltd. Silkscreen, circa 1943
Size: 30" x 40"
Price: SOLD
Details: Signed in print lower right. Title and name printed along bottom edge; marked "Issued by National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa" along bottom edge. Sampson-Matthews label on verso. Can be purchased framed or unframed.
Provenance: Private Collection.
Condition: Excellent. Some wear around bottom edge; two small "cracks" on edge of image.
Additional Information and Photos Available Upon Request
Beech Woods | Fred Haines
Sampson-Matthews Ltd. Silkscreen, circa 1943
Size: 30" x 40"
Price: SOLD
Details: Signed in print lower right. Title and name printed along bottom edge; marked "Issued by National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa" along bottom edge. Sampson-Matthews label on verso. Can be purchased framed or unframed.
Provenance: Private Collection.
Condition: Excellent. Some wear around bottom edge; two small "cracks" on edge of image.
Additional Information and Photos Available Upon Request
Fred Haines was known for his pastoral landscapes,
but he also left a mark as an art teacher and leader
Biography
Frederick Stanley Haines was born at Meaford, Ontario, but moved to Toronto in 1896, at age 17, to pursue his ambition of becoming an artist.
He painted portraits for a travelling dealer and was able to make enough money to finance his studies at the Central Ontario School of Art under G.A. Reid and William Cruikshank.
He first exhibited with the Ontario Society of Artists in 1901 and, in 1906, was elected a member of the OSA.
In 1913, Fred Haines travelled to Belgium, where he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux Arts, Antwerp, and was awarded a gold medal in figure painting.
In 1919, Fred Haines became an associate member of the Royal Canadian Academy and started making his first prints. A year later, he was appointed Secretary, Department of Graphic Art, Canadian National Exhibition and by 1924 was its commissioner of Fine Arts (in the 1930s, Fred Haines brought the work of Picasso and Dali to the C.N.E. art gallery, which was a very progressive step in those days).
Ontario Society of Artists
Fred Haines was elected President of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1924. This would be the first of many prominent positions he held in art societies, galleries and schools.
In 1928 he was appointed Curator, Art Gallery of Toronto, a post he held until his appointment as Principal of the Ontario College of Art in 1932.
During these years, Fred Haines achieved recognition for his pastoral Ontario landscapes, which one writer said the artist “rendered with charm and idealization.” His etchings from this time period are still sought after today.
In 1939, Fred Haines was elected president of the Royal Canadian Academy.
During the Second World War, Fred Haines contributed to the war effort in several ways. He collaborated in design of a Victory Torch with Ted Watson. The torch was flown by Canadian bomber to England in 1941 where it was presented to Prime Minister Winston Churchill to symbolize the Canadian people’s pledge to contribute to the defeat of Hitlerism.
Ontario College of Art
Fred Haines artworks were also among the earliest to be reproduced as silkscreens by Sampson-Matthews Ltd. His Beech Woods and Rural Bridge were very successfully reproduced as 30 x 40 inch prints.
As principal of the Ontario College of Art, Fred Haines introduced practices he had seen during his student days at the Académie Royale des Beaux Arts in Antwerp. One of them was having a studio for the director at the school where students could see him solve his own painting problems.
Another of his ideas was to have a studio for advanced students apart from the regular classes but under supervision.
Although Fred Haines did not work in the abstract or non-objective styles himself, he had a very open mind toward those who did. After 18 years of teaching, during which he established a reputation as a distinguished teacher, he retired from the College in 1951 at the age of 72.
Donated Paintings
Fred Haines returned to full time painting and to his studio and home at Thornhill, where he spent his remaining years. In 1958 he presented 18 paintings to Meaford District High School, which he attended as a teen, and 14 paintings to Thornhill District High School.
Fred Haines died in 1960. The following year a memorial exhibit of his work was held at the Art Gallery of Ontario featuring 36 paintings, 13 sketches, 12 prints, and 6 drawings.
Fred Haines is represented in the following collections:, National Gallery of Canada; Hart House (University of Toronto), the University Women’s Club, Toronto; the I.B.M. Collection and others.
Source: A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker. National Gallery of Canada, Artists in Canada database.
