Edmond Dyonnet
1859-1954
Edmond Dyonnet was born in Crest, France. At the age of seven he began his studies at the Catholic Ecclésiastique de Crest. In 1868 his family moved to Turin, Italy, where he attended school until 1873, when his father’s business took them back to Crest. He came to Montreal in 1875, when his family settled there. He attended the Institut National des Beaux-Arts under abbé Joseph Chabert from 1875 to 1881 but seeking more advanced instruction, he went to Italy where he studied under Professor Gastaldi. Working seven days a week to get the most out of the classes, he made a very keen student. On his holidays Dyonnet painted in the Alps. He also travelled to Genoa, Milan, Pavia, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Rome and finally Naples where he studied painting under Professor Marinelli. He also studied at the Scuola Libera, and at Académie de France at the Villa Medici. After four years in Italy he returned to Montreal where he opened a studio.
In 1891 he was appointed drawing master at the Monument National by the Council of Arts and Manufacturers in Montreal, where he introduced better procedures in the instructions of his pupils. Dyonnet‘s better teaching methods increased the attendance at the and Crafts from 45 to 300 pupils. In 1892 he decorated the Lasalle Museum and also worked with sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert. A portrait he did of Thomas Carli for the sum of 75 dollars opened his career in this field. He received better remuneration for portraits as he became well-known for this work.
He started exhibiting his work at the Royal Canadian Academy in 1893 and did so until 1941. He was also elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy that same year and elected a full member in 1901. Still in 1893 he visited Chicago, Western Canada and also went back to France for a while before coming back to Canada after a stop in New-York in 1895. In 1896, he travels to the Gaspé region, the Laurentians and to Berthier-sur-Mer. The following year, he went to Beaupré and Île d’Orléans with other pupils of Horatio Walker: Edmund Morris, Maurice Cullen and William Cruickshank. He went back there in 1898 and 1904 to paint with Edmund Morris and Curtis Williamson.
In 1916 he moved to a studio which he was to occupy for the next 33 years. He resigned from the Council of Arts and Crafts in 1922 to accept a new post of Professor of Drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts of Montreal. He had been instrumental in the founding of that school with Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté and Alfred Laliberté. They had approached the Quebec Provincial Government with determination and dedication towards the establishment of such an institution. Dyonnet taught at the school until 1925. He also taught drawing at the École Polytechnique (1907-1922), at the Art Association of Montreal (1901-1908) and at the School of Architecture at McGill University (1920-1936).
For a number of years, Dyonnet was very good friends with William Brymner. Brymner had sponsored Dyonnet’s membership in the Royal Canadian Academy and the Pen and Pencil Club. When Brymner became president of the Academy and Dyonnet its secretary (a post he held for 32 years), their business brought them together almost daily. It was Dyonnet who helped Brymner back to recovery after his stroke, by walking daily with him until he was well enough to continue his painting trips. Dyonnet, William Brymner and Maurice Cullen were often guests of Horatio Walker who lived on the Ile d’Orléans where they painted on several occasions. In 1934, with the help of H.C. Jones he composed “The History of the Royal Canadian Academy” and at age 92 he wrote his memoirs “Mémoires d’un artiste canadien” that was published after his death.
Distinctions in his career include: the Silver medal at the Pan-American Exhibition of Buffalo (New York) in 1901; Silver medal at the St-Louis International Exhibition (Missouri) in 1904. In 1910, the French Government awarded him with the “Officer of the Academy” distinction. Other than being a member of the Royal canadian Academy he was also a member of the Pen and Pencil Club and a member of the Arts Club. He would also become a great influence in teaching to many young artists that would all become great Canadian painters including Goodridge Roberts, Narcisse Poirier, Clarence Gagnon, Robert Pilot, Thomas Garside, A.Y. Jackson and Marc-Aurèle Fortin. He died in Montreal at the age of 95.
Collections:
- National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, QC)
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (Victoria, BC)
- Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
- Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (Quebec, QC)
- Musée du Séminaire de Québec (Quebec, QC)
- Canadian War Museum (Ottawa, ON)
- Agnes Etherington Art Center (Kingston, ON)
- Power Corporation of Canada (Montreal. QC)
Affiliations:
- Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy (1893)
- Royal Canadian Academy (1901)
- Pen and Pencil Club
- Arts Club
