David Brown Milne (Burgoyne, Ontario, 8 January 1882 – Bancroft, Ontario, 26 December 1953) was a painter, printmaker, illustrator, watercolourist and writer, credited to have been the first to produce coloured drypoints by the use of multiple plates, one for each colour.[1]
Contents |
Born and brought up as the youngest of 10 children to a family of Presbyterian Scottish immigrants, Milne's training, initial work and recognition took place in New York City. Trained at Art Students League, between 1903 and 1905, Milne attended classes with Robert Henri and William Chase.[2]
During the time, Milne's work as a painter rather than an illustrator became increasingly larger. His first exhibition as a painter took place in 1913 at Armory Show. During the First World War, he was a painter for the Army. Deciding to return to Canada permanently, Milne settled in Ontario in 1929. His favourite painting places were around Temagami and Baptiste Lake near Bancroft.
Even though after his return to Canada, Milne was largely unknown until 1934. At the same time, he received little attention, until recently, when his work started to be evaluated in similar terms to those The Group of Seven have been constantly credited. Despite being quasi-ignored internally, some foreign critics and curators, among whom Clement Greenberg, the American art critic, was the most prominent, promoted his work. The British Museum has been smoothly and quietly acquiring pieces of his work in recent years.