Early Life, Family and Training

Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1890, Eric Goldberg grew up in an environment where art was a central part of daily life. He was the son of a successful German portrait painter, a background that likely shaped his early understanding of the craft. This familial connection to the canvas provided a foundation for his own development as a Jewish-Canadian painter.

His formal training began in his birthplace, where he studied under Lovis Corinth and Hermann Struck. These early years in Berlin established the technical groundwork that would follow him across borders. Seeking to expand his horizons, he eventually moved to France to refine his skills in the heart of the European art scene.

Between 1906 and 1910, Goldberg attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. During this formative period, he also studied at the Académie Julian. His education was shaped by the guidance of several notable instructors, including Tony Robert-Fleury, Jules Joseph Lefebvre, and Jean-Paul Laurens. It was during these years in Paris that he received early encouragement from Renoir, a connection that would leave a lasting impression on his approach to color and form.

Teaching and Life in Europe and Palestine

After his studies in Paris, Goldberg’s life took on a nomadic quality. He moved through different cultures, spending time in Chicago and Palestine before settling into a career as an educator. His professional path led him to the Prussian Academy of Arts and later to the Berlin Academy of Art, where he held a position as a professor of drawing and painting. These years in Europe were marked by a deep engagement with the academic traditions of the continent, even as his own life remained in constant motion.

His connection to the Middle East was significant and occurred in two distinct chapters. From 1911 to 1915, he taught at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem. Years later, he returned to the region, teaching in the British Mandate of Palestine between 1924 and 1926. These experiences in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas provided a backdrop to his developing perspective, far removed from the settled life he would eventually find in North America.

In 1926, he returned to Paris, a city that would become a central part of his personal history. It was there that he met Regina Seiden, a Quebec-born artist who would become his wife. Their meeting in the French capital marked a turning point, bridging his European teaching career with the personal connections that would eventually lead him toward his new life in Canada.

Life and Activity in Canada

Goldberg arrived in Montreal in 1928, beginning a new chapter of his life in Canada. It was during this period that he met Regina Seiden, a Quebec-born artist who had studied under William Brymner and Maurice Cullen. The two married and shared a life deeply rooted in the local art community. As he settled into his new home, his focus shifted toward the natural surroundings of his adopted country. He began to favor the landscapes of Quebec's Gaspésie region, finding a quiet subject in the fishing villages and coastal scenery of the area.

His presence in the Montreal art scene was marked by a commitment to modernism. In 1939, he became a founding member of the Contemporary Arts Society, a group dedicated to introducing modern art to the Canadian public. He was also a member of the Eastern Group of Painters, an organization formed to offer an alternative to the nationalism of the Canadian Group of Painters. Throughout his years in Montreal, his work was well represented by Max Stern's Dominion Gallery.

• Figures (c. 1942)
• The Fascinator (c. 1945)
• Pier, Gaspé Village (c. 1948)

Technique, Style and Key Works

Goldberg’s brushwork carries the weight of his diverse training. The broad, spontaneous strokes seen in his canvases reveal the influence of Lovis Corinth, while the soft colors and forms suggest an early connection to the art of Pierre-Auguste Renoir. There is a subtle quality to his compositions that recalls the work of Raoul Dufy, lending a certain lightness to his subjects. He often turned his attention to romantic themes, finding beauty in the depiction of women, harlequins, flowers, and quiet fishing villages.

His early development is visible in his Self-portrait, painted about 1911 to 1914. As his career progressed, his focus shifted toward the people and landscapes that surrounded him. In Figures, created around 1942, he explored the human form with a distinct sense of movement. His later years saw him capturing specific moments of character and place, such as in The Fascinator from about 1945. By 1948, his work included Pier, Gaspé Village, a piece that reflects his long-standing interest in the landscapes of the Quebec region.