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Roberts, Tom (Thomas Keith Roberts) (Canadian, 1909-1998) Born in Toronto in 1909, Tom was the grandson of Samuel Roberts, founder of the Roberts Gallery in 1842. His mother Frieda (Humme) Roberts was an artist in her own right and his father Percy was proprietor of the Roberts Gallery for many years. From an early age, Tom spent a considerable amount of time at the gallery and had hopes of becoming an artist. Her studied at Central Technical School and at the Ontario College of Art under such artist’s as J.W. Beatty and Fred Haines. By 1928 he was established as a free-lance artist in commercial and fine art. His influences were derived from French Impressionists, Group of Seven and J.W. Beatty in particular, who had preceded the Group of Seven in the discovery of Northern Ontario for subject matter. During World War Two Roberts served with the Royal Canadian Engineers as a sapper, assigned to architectural drafting. In his spare time he portrayed army life in quick pencil sketches and watercolour paintings. After a year in the army he was able to return to civilian life and resume his career as a full-time artist. Over the years he moved towards simpler designs and abstracted compositions. His rural scenes were enriched with children on their way to and from school or at play in all seasons. Other subjects included rural workers or vacationers. His unpeopled rural scenes were painted in locations across Canada but predominantly in Ontario. By the mid 1980’s he had held more than thirty solo exhibitions in Toronto alone. He was a member of the Ontario society of Artists (1944) and an Associate Member of the Royal Canadian Academy (1945). |
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