Robert Bateman (painter)

Robert Bateman
Born 24 May 1930
Toronto, Ontario
Nationality Canadian
Alma mater Victoria College in the University of Toronto, Ontario College of Education
Known for Painting, wildlife

Robert Bateman, OC OBC (born 24 May 1930) is a Canadian naturalist and painter, born in Toronto, Ontario.[1]

Career

Bateman was always interested in art, but never intended to make a living from it. He was fascinated by the natural world in his childhood; he recorded the sightings of all of the birds in the area of his house in Toronto.[2] He found inspiration from the Group of Seven; he was also interested in making abstract paintings of nature.[3] It was not until the mid-1960s that he changed to his present style, realism.[2] In 1954, he graduated with a degree in geography from Victoria College in the University of Toronto. Afterwards, he attended Ontario College of Education. Although the stage was set for an expert wildlife artist, Bateman moved on to be a high school art/geography teacher.[1] However, he still painted in his free time. It wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s that his work started to receive major recognition. Robert Bateman's show in 1987, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, drew a large crowd for a living artist.[4]

Bateman also has approximately six books devoted solely to his paintings.[1] The majority are acrylic on various media .[5] Bateman's decision in 1977 to produce reproductions of his paintings through Mill Pond Press has been criticized by some who feel that the reproductions are "overpriced posters that cheapen the legitimate art market".[2] The reproductions are popular items, being sold in print galleries across Canada and more internationally.

In 1999, the Audubon Society of Canada declared Bateman one of the top 100 environmental proponents of the 20th century. [6]

Today, Bateman lives in Saltspring Island in British Columbia with his second wife, Birgit Freybe Bateman.[2] Robert Bateman Secondary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Robert Bateman High School in Burlington, Ontario, and Robert Bateman Elementary School, Ottawa, Ontario are named for him. He is an Honorary Director of the North American Native Plant Society.[7]

Honours

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Biography". Robert Bateman Website. June 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "The Life And Times of Robert Bateman". CBC News. 1997.
  3. ↑ "Robert Bateman, (Originals)". Peninsula Gallery. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  4. ↑ "Algonquin Park Untitled". Pegasus Gallery. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  5. ↑ "Environmental Paintings". Robert Bateman Website. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  6. ↑ Pound, Richard W. (30 March 2007). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. p. 807. ISBN 978-1554550098. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ "The 2014-2015 NANPS Board of Directors". North American Native Plant Society. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  8. ↑ "Members since 1880". Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
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