Carl Schaefer; Lutheran Church at Purdy, ON, 1949
Schaefer was President of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour from 1939 to 1941 before becoming an official war artist with the RCAF (1943-46). This experience left a profound impact on his artistic perspective, casting a shadow over his work for several years.
Carl Schaefer; Bomb Aimer, C. Charlie, Battle of the Ruhr, 1943
However, his innate resilience and artistic spirit eventually led him to rediscover a more cheerful and optimistic mood in his art, particularly during the 1950s. Schaefer was again painting in a broad, lyrical spirit in the countryside around Hanover and in neighbouring Wellington and Waterloo counties.
Carl Schaefer; Edge of the Pinnacle, Hill Woods, Waterloo County, 1979
Schaefer's dedication to art extended beyond his personal creations. He shared his knowledge and passion as a teacher at Central Technical School in Toronto in 1930 and, later, at the Ontario College of Art from 1948 to 1970.
There were three major Schaefer exhibitions during the artist's lifetime: by the McCord Museum, Montreal, in 1967; by the Robert McLauchlin Art Gallery, Oshawa, ON, in 1976; and by the Edmonton Art Gallery in 1980. Carl Schaefer died in Toronto on May 21, 1995.
G. Johnston, Carl: Portrait of a Painter (1986);
M. Gray et al, Carl Schaefer (1977);
A. Oko, "The Prints of Carl Schaefer," RACAR (1983);
C. Varley, Carl Schaefer in Hanover (1980).
