The Life and Career of Arthur Nantel
Arthur Nantel was a Canadian painter and illustrator. Born in Montreal, Canada, on November 22, 1874, he spent his early years in a city that would shape his visual perspective. His work emerged from a life spent observing the world, capturing details through both paint and illustration. He lived through significant shifts in the landscape of Canadian art, maintaining a steady hand as his career progressed.
His professional life was marked by a commitment to his craft, moving between the roles of a painter and an illustrator. He remained active in his pursuits until his death on June 11, 1948. The quiet details of his life are reflected in the way he approached his subjects, focusing on the immediate reality of his surroundings rather than the grand gestures often found in the galleries of his time.
Notable Works and Artistic Subjects
Nantel’s brush often settled on the quiet, mundane rhythms of daily life. He captured the stillness of early mornings, as seen in 7 A.M., April 22Nd, 1915 and 9 A.M., April 24Th., 1915. These works suggest a focus on the specific, passing moments of a day. He also turned his attention to the simple necessity of meals, producing pieces like After Soup and Before Soup. These subjects reflect a gaze fixed on the immediate surroundings and the small, repetitive habits of existence.
His subjects frequently moved between the landscape and the lived experience of his environment. In A Bit Of Gleiberg, the focus rests on a specific place, while Baldmustein captures another distinct location. He also documented the shelter and rest found in unexpected places, such as in Bivouacking In A Church. These works show a tendency to record the world exactly as it was encountered, focusing on the textures of a specific time and place.
- After An Advance
- Cold Cheer In Fort #3
- Christmas Eve In Giessen Camp
- Come On Boys
- Cushy Job In A Straffe Commando
- Every Day In The Week, 6 A.M. Giessen
Works from the War Years
The canvas captures the repetitive, often harsh rhythms of life in the camps and trenches. In Giessen, the passage of time is marked by specific, quiet moments, such as in Every Day In The Week, 6 A.M. Giessen or the stillness of Christmas Eve In Giessen Camp. These works do not look away from the mundane or the difficult. There is a sense of the immediate, lived experience in pieces like After Soup or Before Soup, where the focus remains on the basic necessities of survival and the small intervals between duties.
The atmosphere shifts when the subject turns to the more active or punishing aspects of service. Come On Boys and Faster, You Schweinhund suggest a sense of movement and the urgency of command. Other works reflect the weight of the era, such as Gassed or the tension found in Panic In Ypres, April, 1915. Even the more structured environments are noted, from the quiet of Bivouacking In A Church to the discipline of Cushy Job In A Straffe Commando. These paintings record the reality of being there, whether in a moment of rest or in the midst of a struggle.
- Cold Cheer In Fort #3
- For God And The Kaiser
- A Bit Of Gleiberg
- 9 A.M., April 24Th., 1915
- 7 A.M., April 22Nd., 1915
Where to See the Works Today
The physical traces of Nantel's time in the field remain largely gathered in Ottawa. The Canadian War Museum holds much of his output from the conflict, preserving the specific moments he chose to record. You can find his observations of daily life and the landscape in their collection, where the brushwork captures the quiet and the chaos of the era.
Several of his specific studies are kept within these walls. This includes his depictions of early morning light and routine, such as 7 A.M., April 22Nd, 1915 and 9 A.M., April 24Th., 1915. He also left behind records of the terrain and the men, seen in works like A Bit Of Gleiberg and After An Advance. The collection also contains After Soup, Before Soup, and Baldmustein, providing a look at the smaller, more personal details of life in the camps.
