John William Beatty

1869-1941

Canadian

John William Beatty studied at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. Later, he traveled to Europe and studied at the Academie Julian in Paris and additionally in London. Beatty was part of a group of artists that were among the first to travel to northern Ontario to paint landscapes. During this time, he befriended Tom Thomson and members of the future Group of Seven. Beatty was invited to join the Group of Seven by Lawren Harris, but this did not manifest due to personality conflicts between Beatty and some of the group members. In 1917, Beatty became an Official War Artist for the Canadian Expeditionary Force.