David Milne (1882-1953)

He learned drawing from a correspondence school and then failed as a magazine illustrator, so he had to settle for being a great artist instead. That youthful detour remains an endearing passage in the life of David Milne (1882-1953), the most sophisticated of Canadian painters. He's never been as famous as the Group of Seven or Emily Carr, because he didn't embrace national mythology. His concerns were less obvious: He tried to suggest a whole world with a few spare brush strokes. He saw visual magic in everyday existence and painted even Bay Street at night as a glowing wonder. He was a virtuoso. - from review of David B. Milne: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings (University of Toronto Press, two volumes, 1,324 pages, $500), by David Milne Jr. and David Silcox; Review by Robert Fulford, Globe and Mail, Dec 26, 1998

Books from Alibris: David Milne