Bruno Bobak, LL.D., D.Litt (born Bronislaw Jacob Bobak; 27 December 1923 – 24 September 2012) was a Polish-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

war painter and art teacher. His main medium was

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

painting but he also produced

woodcuts Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

Early years and war artist

Born in Wawelówka, Vavylivka in Ukraine, then near

Skalat Skálat (; pl, Skałat, links=no, yi, סקאלאט, Skalat) is a town in Ternopil, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Skalat urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: History Skal ...

, now a part of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, then in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, Bobak's family left in 1925 and eventually settled in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1925. He studied art with

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL. D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

and Gordon Webber at the

Art Gallery of Toronto The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beve ...

(1933-1937), and with Carl Schaefer and

Elizabeth Wyn Wood Elizabeth Winnifred Wood (October 8, 1903 – January 27, 1966), known as Elizabeth Wyn Wood, was a Canadian sculptor and advocate of art education. A notable figure in Canadian sculpture, she is primarily known for her modernist interpretation ...

at the

Central Technical School Central Technical School (CTS or Central Tech) is a Canadian composite high school in Toronto, Ontario. The school is run by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB); before 1998, it was run by the Toronto Board of Education (TBE). Central Tech ...

, Toronto (1938-1942). Bobak joined the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

in 1942, following high school. He won first prize in Canadian Army Art Competition. He was named as an Official War Artist. He served in Europe as Canada's youngest war artist in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Canada Post stamp
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Teaching career

After the war Bobak returned to Canada and lived briefly in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

before moving with his wife (whom he met in London) to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1947 to teach art at the

Vancouver School of Art Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

. The Bobaks moved one final time to

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

in 1960 and he became artist in residence at the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

. Bobak was appointed Director of the University of New Brunswick's Art Centre. In 1983, the Sir George Williams Art Galleries,

Concordia University, Montreal Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

organized a touring retrospective of his work. Retired in 1986, Bobak remained in New Brunswick until his death. In 1995, along with his wife, fellow war artist

Molly Bobak Molly Lamb Bobak (née Lamb; February 25, 1920 – March 2, 2014) was a Canadian teacher, writer, printmaker and painter working in oils and watercolours. During World War II, she was the first Canadian woman artist to be sent overseas to docu ...

, he became a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Personal

Bobak married

in 1945 and is survived by two children, Alexander Bobak (b. 1946) and Anny Scoones (b. 1957) and grandchild Julia Bobak.

Collections

Bobak's work is primarily found in Canada, but can be found also in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Poland and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Recognition

On 8 September 1998 Canada Post issued 'The Farmer's Family (detail), 1970, Bruno Bobak' in the Masterpieces of Canadian art series. The stamp was designed by

Pierre-Yves Pelletier Pierre-Yves Pelletier is a graphic designer, who has designed 110 stamps for Canada Post. Pierre-Yves Pelletier is half French Canadian. He lives in Belœil, Quebec Beloeil (; ) is city in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal, on the So ...

based on an watercolour painting ''The Farmer's Family'' (1970) by Brunislaw Jacob Bobak in the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick. The 90¢ stamps are perforated 12.5 X 13 mm and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited.

Death

Bruno Bobak died 24 September 2012, at age 88. He had been diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

earlier that summer. His wife, Molly Bobak, died two years later on 2 March 2014.

Awards

Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award The Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award is a monetary award given since 1971 by the Canada Council for the Arts to Canadian artists judged to be outstanding in their mid-careers. Since 2005, the award is given to one recipient in each of the followi ...

(1971) *

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

* Jesse Dow Prize,

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA; french: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MBAM) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square ...

* C.W. Jefferys Award,

Canadian Society of Graphic Art The Canadian Society of Graphic Art (CSGA), originally called the Graphic Arts Club, was a non-profit organization of Canadian graphic artists. It was founded in 1904, and formally chartered in 1933. At one time it was one of the larger organizatio ...

* Honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

from Saint Thomas University 1984 * Honorary

Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

from the University of New Brunswick 1986 *

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

References

Bibliography

*Bernard Riordon, Herménégilde Chiasson, and Herb Curtis, ''Bruno Bobak: The Full Palette'' (Goose Lane Editions and Beaverbrook Art Gallery: Fredericton, NB., 2006).

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobak, Bruno 1923 births 2012 deaths Canadian painters Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Canadian war artists Artists from New Brunswick People from Fredericton Polish emigrants to Canada World War II artists Canadian Army personnel of World War II