Frank Black, revisited

Frank Charles Black, was a British-born, Toronto-based artist who was an associate of some members of the Group of Seven and shared their initial profession — commercial art — and their disdain for it. He retired from the business as soon as he could and moved to Georgetown, Ontario, just west of Toronto, where he taught art basics to pay the bills but finally got down to painting what he wanted to paint. He died in 1988.

To view this article in context, please click here to visit Paul Dorsey's "Dali House."

Frank Black, 'The Angry Atlantic'.

Paul Dorsey, who is a huge fan of the late Frank Black's art, posted this work on his site, 'The Dali House'. (click here)

I find myself drawn to paintings about the sea. It could be a romantic thing. It could be The primal, relentless energy of the sea. It could be the the wonder of what is beyond the horizon, or it could be that it represents challenge for human conquest.

I don't know, but Frank Black so dramatically captures all of this and more in this work. There is a richness of colour and drama in this work and a path of foam that leads us from the bottom through a passage in the rocks out into the ocean. I like how Black evokes the powerful energy the waves as they crash against the rocks.

Sometimes too, the less shown the better. The sky is purposefully nonediscript. It doesn't draw the viewer's attention away from the ocean surface.

But look at the drama! Black's effective use of conrast between the large, dark rocks on the left and the whiteness of the foam gives this work its punch. What a painting!

Frank Black, 'By the Magnetewan,' 1948.

I lifted this picture from Paul Dorsey's Dali House. This picture by Frank Black caught my eye, possibly because it showed how strong the influence of the Group of Seven had become in Canada.

The limited palette, the clunky landscape, the crooked hydro poles, and the delightful play of light make this a work suitable for any distinguished collection.


Frank and his wife at the opening of the Halton Hills Arts and Cultural Centre, 1982.

Check out Paul's story, by clicking here. Its a good read.