Artist

Hutchinson, Leonard

Title

Old Ontario Village

Technique

woodcut

Dimensions

36.2cm height x 44.8cm width

Type

print

Accession Number

1983.26

Owner

City of Burnaby

Collection

Permanent Collection

Leonard Hutchinson was born in Manchester, England, where he studied at the Colchester School of Art. In 1912, his family emigrated to Canada, taking up residence in Tillsonburg, Ontario. After moving to Hamilton in the early 1920s, Mr. Hutchinson worked as a graphic artist at Barnard Stamp and Stencil, studying art in the evenings at the Hamilton Technical Institute. During the 20s, he painted in oil and watercolour, and sketched area towns and their people. He also began making the block prints for which he would later become best known. In 1932, Mr. Hutchinson began teaching evening art classes at the Hamilton Technical Institute. He also exhibited his colour block prints, with much acclaim, at the Royal Canadian Academy exhibition, and with the National Gallery of Canada's annual exhibition of Canadian Art. Recognized as a master of the lino and woodcut print medium, his works are regarded as perhaps the finest ever produced in Canada. In 1936 he was appointed as a Governor of the Hamilton Art Gallery, where he served until the mid 1940s. In 1967, he was elected an Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy, and received the Centennial Gold Medal for his contribution to Canadian art.