Leonard Brooks (7 November 1911 – 20 November 2011) was a Canadian artist.

Biography

Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Brooks arrived in Canada in 1912. He studied art at

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 ...

, then the

Ontario College of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

and with Frank Johnston (1929). Brooks taught at Northern Vocational School in Toronto and became an associate member of the

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 ...

in 1939. He joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in May 1943. During his posting as a war artist (August 1944 – May 1946), he painted the movements of an aircraft carrier in the waters of Scotland and the activities of mine sweepers and motor torpedo boats in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

off Normandy. After the war, he obtained a grant from the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

to study art in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He studied with

David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...

. Brooks was an accomplished musician. His mother gave him a violin when he was eight years old. He played first violin in concerts with the

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

Symphony. He taught for many years in the music department at the Bellas Artes school in

San Miguel de Allende San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the city lies from Mexico City, 86 km (53 mi) from Queré ...

. On 12 August 1950 he and his wife

Reva Reva may refer to: Places *Reva, Belgrade, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia *Reva, Mozambique, village in Ancuabe District in Cabo Delgado Province in northeastern Mozambique * Reva, Trebnje, small settlement just south of Dobrnič in the M ...

, as well as

Stirling Dickinson Stirling Dickinson (1909 – October 27, 1998) was an American artist who spent much of his life in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato in Mexico, where he was one of the first members of what would become a colony of expatriate artists from the Un ...

and five other American teachers, were deported from Mexico. The official reason was that they did not have proper work visas but the cause may have been a falling out with the owner of a rival school. Leonard Brooks was eventually able to get the deportation order lifted through his contact with General Ignacio M. Beteta, whose brother Ramón Beteta Quintana was an influential politician at the national level. Brooks published a number of works on watercolour and oil painting techniques. He turned 100 on November 7, 2011. He died 20 November 2011 in

Honours

* Associate Royal Canadian Academy (1939)

References

External links

* A large number o
Brooks' collages, paintings, and drawings
at Rumi Art Galleries. *Several o
Brooks' instructional books
are available to read at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

.
Brief biography of Brooks
at the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in a ...

. *August 200
filmed interview with Brooks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Frank Leonard 1911 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 21st-century Canadian painters Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Canadian war artists Canadian centenarians Men centenarians World War II artists British emigrants to Canada 20th-century Canadian male artists 21st-century Canadian male artists Instituto Allende faculty Canadian collage artists

Biography

Honours

See also

References

External links