Ian M. Thom

I really like the Art Canada Institute series about various Canadian artists. This one introduced me to the breathtaking landscapes of Takao Tanabe, who paints the prairies and British Columbia. I was impressed by his technique of making the image look like it just appeared on the canvas: no evidence of brushstrokes. Also the fact that he has done a variety of work, including abstract expressionism. This is a good entry in the series.

Just for looking through the pages to view Carr's artwork, both paintings and sketches, I give this book a good rating. There is a short biography in the front, but the book is mostly images, and as an artist myself (amateur) I find it inspiring to look through.

Catalogue for a career retrospective exhibition of artist Takao Tanabe. The show exhibited at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

An Introduction by Ian M. Thom details Tanabe's education at the Winnipeg School of Art (1946-1949), his year of studying at New York's Brooklyn Museum of Art School (1950-52), an Emily Carr Scholarship-sponsored period at London England's Central School of Arts and Crafts and travels throughout Europe (1953-55), as well as his two show more years in Japan (1959-61), where he learned the traditional art of calligraphy and sumi-e painting.

The Introduction is followed by three lengthy, analytical, beautifully written chapters by Roald Nasgaard, Nancy Tousley and Jeffrey Spalding. Throughout the book, in fairly tight chronological order, and corresponding to the discussions of the various phases of Tanabe's career, are colour plates of the artist's work from the early 1950s to 2000.

Takao Tanabe is one of Canada’s most distinguished painters and teachers. His career has taken him to Europe, the United States and Japan, but his first love has always been the landscape of his home province, British Columbia. A tireless supporter of the visual arts in Canada, Tanabe is the recipient of several honorary awards, including the Order of British Columbia, the Order of Canada, and the Governor show less

Catalogue for an exhibition held at the Vancouver Art Gallery form October 29, 2011 – January 29, 2012.

'A stunning and diverse collection of artworks from the personal collection of one of Canada's premier art patrons.

Gifts from private art collectors have played a vital role in building and expanding the Vancouver Art Gallery's collection. Shore, Forest and Beyond is an exhibition of 100 works gathered from the collection assembled by Michael Audain.

The exhibition and this accompanying show more publication highlight the breadth of the collection, which includes: mid-19-century masks by Haida, Nuxalk, Salish, Tlingit and Tsimshian carvers; contemporary First Nations works by Robert Davidson, Brian Jungen and Marianne Nicolson; paintings by British Columbia artists Emily Carr, B.C. Binning and E.J. Hughes and contemporary works by Roy Arden, Jeff Wall, Attila Richard Lukacs, Angela Grossman and Takao Tanabe; Mexican modernist works by Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo.'

(Abstract source: http://www.amazon.ca/Shore-Forest-And-Beyond-Thom/dp/1553659295) show less