Tom Hodgson

Thomas Hodgson (June 5, 1924 – February 27, 2006) was a Canadian sprint canoer who competed in the 1950s, and also one of the acclaimed Canadian artists known as Painters Eleven. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he earned his best finish of eighth in the C-2 1000 m event at Helsinki in 1952.[1]

Thomas Hodgson
Born	Thomas Sherlock Hodgson June 5, 1924 Toronto, Ontario
Died	February 27, 2006 (aged 81) Peterborough, Ontario
Nationality	Canadian
Education	Central Technical School (1939–1943); Ontario College of Art (1945–1946)
Known for	sprint canoer; Painting; teaching, Ontario College of Art (1968–1973); Art`s Space, Toronto
Movement	Painters Eleven
Spouse(s)	Wilma Stein, married (1947–1968); Cathy Good, married 1978

Prior to the Olympics, Hodgson served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He started painting as a child. Hodgson began working in advertising from 1948 to 1967 but at the same time, experimented as an artist, making watercolours and joining art societies such as the Ontario Society of Artists and Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.[2] By the early 1950s, he was experimenting with abstraction, and was invited to join Painters Eleven.

His work is characterized by a large format, in bold colours and strokes of paint.[3] One critic calls him the consummate gestural painter of the Eleven, gutsy and aggressive but finally, lyrical.[4] He thought of abstraction as abstracting a feeling or memory of something rather than a record of nature.[5] From 1968 to 1973, he taught at the Ontario College of Art. Afterwards, he taught at Art`s Space in Toronto.[6]

A native of Toronto, he died in Peterborough of Alzheimer's disease.[1]

References

1. "Tom Hodgson". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
2. Nowell 2011, p. 5.
3. Nowell 2011, p. 7.
4. Nasgaard 2007, p. 106. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNasgaard2007 (help)
5. Murray, Joan (1979). Painters Eleven in Retrospect. Oshawa: Robert McLaughlin Gallery. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
6. Nowell 2011, p. 9.

Bibliography

• Nasgaard, Roald (2008). Abstract Painting in Canada. Douglas & McIntyre. pp. 106–109. ISBN 9781553653943. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
• Nowell, Iris (2011). P11, Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art. Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 9781553655909.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading

• Fulford, Robert (7 March 2006). "Tom Hodgson's abstract objective: Portrait of the late artist as a young man who wanted to change how we saw – originally published in the National Post". www.robertfulford.com. Robert Fulford. Retrieved 18 April 2020.