John Arthur Fraser

John Arthur Fraser

  John Arthur Fraser, artist, illustrator, teacher (b at London, Eng 9 Jan 1838; d at New York C, NY 1 Jan 1898). Soon after emigrating from England in 1858, Fraser joined the firm of William NOTMAN in Montréal as a tinter of photographs, and in 1868 he moved to Toronto to establish the partnership of Notman and Fraser. He was the prime mover behind the formation of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1872 and he taught in its School of Art, founded in 1876. He was also involved in the Royal Canadian Academy (established 1880). A belligerent man of strong opinions, Fraser was frequently embroiled in bitter disputes with fellow artists. During the last 14 years of his life, Fraser lived in the US. His landscapes were praised by reviewers for the artist's photographic realism, observation of detail and use of light and colour.