During World War II, A.Y. Jackson, a member of the Group of Seven,
also a veteran of the First World War initiated a plan to bring
contemporary art to Canada's Soldiers. A veteran of the First World
War, he wanted to improve the appearance of the drab army barracks
and barren mess halls.
Jackson engaged the help of A.J. Casson, another member of the
Group, who was employed at Sampson-Matthews Limited, a Toronto printing
firm. Wanting to produce the highest quality prints at the lowest
cost possible, they decided to use the silkscreen technique for
their project.
The landscape subjects chosen represented scenes from every part
of Canada. Many of the works were already well known and considered
masterpieces in their time. Some of the artists whose work was selected
are Emily Carr, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, Thoreau MacDonald,
David Milne and Tom Thomson. Among others, Charles Comfort and A.Y.
Jackson contributed original works conceived especially for this
series. Apart from brightening Canadian Army Barracks, these prints,
which were sent to all parts of Canada, to England and to Germany,
they were to recall the beauty and dignity of the homeland for the
troops. They instilled not only a patriotic pride but also a pride
in Canada's artists.
The silkscreen process was performed entirely by hand under the
supervision of A.J. Casson. Paintings were selected for their adaptability
to the silkscreen medium - 12 to 15 colours were maximum due to
the complexity of the process. Many of the masterpieces chosen were
simplified to suit the silkscreen technique - the number of colours
was reduced and details were eliminated. Jackson and Casson managed
the production of these "translations" or modified originals.
The stenciled silk screens were useful for a limited number of original
prints. The economic success of the plan was commendable: expensive
plates were not required; a standard, low-cost card size was used;
frames and glass were not necessary for presentation; the prints,
in Jackson's estimate, could not be distinguished from the originals
at a distance of ten feet; and the silk screens could be washed
easily and without damage.
The entire enterprise - the recruitment of artists and silkscreen
experts to participate in the solicitation of Canadian business
houses as sponsors and the administration of the program by the
Department of National Defence and later by the National Gallery
of Canada - was conducted on a voluntary basis. It was Canada's
war effort for art in the 1940's.
After the war was over and hundreds of prints had been distributed
at home and abroad, a demand from schools, hospitals and other institutions
for inexpensive high quality prints permitted the continuation of
the program. The silkscreen series was recognized for its educational
value - and for its exceptional economic and remarkable artistic
quality.
Today, silkscreen prints are highly collectable. The handwork involved
in the silkscreen process has become extremely costly, if not obsolete,
and would prohibit such an undertaking in modern-day times of offset
and digital lithography. A limited number of the war effort series
is still available through John A. Libby Fine Art.
