William Arthur Winter, O.S.A.,R.C.A. (1909-1996)
He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1909. He first studied art at the Winnipeg School of Art in the 1920s under Group of Seven members Frank (Franz) Johnston and Lionel LeMoine Fitzgerald. At first, William Winter, like many Canadian artists early in their careers, combined his interest in commercial art and fine art, earning a living while building his reputation.
William Winter became best known for his paintings of children, which he often painted playing or engaged in everyday activities in an urban setting. Scenes of children playing baseball or hockey, riding bicycles, skating, skipping, playing with pets, going to the beach and reading are common. He also painted child ballet dancers or simple portraits of children, focusing on their faces.
“I paint with a great deal of nostalgia,” William Winter later told The Globe and Mail. “I paint my own boyhood.”
He joined the Royal Canadian Academy in 1953. His works are held widely in corporate and private collections.
