William Raphael

William Raphael RCA (August 22, 1833 – March 15, 1914), born Israel Rafalsky (Yiddish: ישראל ראַפֿאַלסקי), was a Prussian-born Canadian painter of portraits, still lifes, genre scenes and landscapes, best known for his lively scenes of the Montreal harbour and market life.^[1][2] He was the first Jewish professional artist to establish himself in Canada,^[3] a charter member of Montreal's Society of Canadian Artists in 1868, a member of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1879 and a charter member of the Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880.^[4]

Born in Nakel, West Prussia, of Orthodox Jewish background, he had a rigid academic training at the Berlin School of Fine Art with Johann Eduard Wolff [de] and Karl Begas.^[5] In 1856, he emigrated to New York City and then went to Montreal in 1857,^[6] where he remained for the rest of his life. He worked at Notman`s studio and with A.B. Taber, another photographic firm, during the early years, painting photograph portraits. In time, he became a noted portrait, genre and landscape artist with a wide range of subjects including flora and fauna, religious scenes, as well as making anatomical drawings for medical lectures and publications, illustrations for prints and books such as Picturesque Canada and working as an art restorer.^[3][6] He also taught at the High School of Montreal, the Art Association of Montreal and other schools and colleges as well as starting his own school.^[6]

Like Paul Kane and Cornelius Krieghoff, Raphael was known for his paintings of the habitant and First Nations peoples.^[3] In 1866, Raphael painted Immigrants at Montreal, later titled Behind Bonsecours Market, purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in 1957. The artist portrayed himself in the painting: he is the man in the crowd carrying a portfolio and a five-pronged candlestick, perhaps inherited from his family^[3] (presumably, he was painting what he brought as an immigrant to the New World). He worked and exhibited with the Society of Canadian Artists in Montreal (1867), of which he was a founder, the Art Association of Montreal, the Ontario Society of Artists (member in 1879), and the Royal Canadian Academy, of which he was a charter member.^[7][8] He also exhibited his work at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, the Royal Society of British Artists in 1877–1878 and at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London in 1886.^[3] In 1996, Galerie Walter Klinkhoff in Montreal organized a retrospective of his work.^[9]

His work is in public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, the McCord Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Château Ramezay.^[7][3][6] Among his memberships were the Pen and Pencil Club of Montreal in 1890 (he was an original member), and a member of the Council of Arts and Manufactures of the Province of Quebec in 1904.^[6]

At the Cowley Abbott Auction, Artwork from an Important Private Collection - Part II, June 8, 2023, Bonsecours Market, 1864, graphite, ink and watercolour, 9.5 x 11.75 ins ( 24.1 x 29.8 cms ) ( sight ), Auction Estimate: $2,000.00 - $3,000.00, realized a price of $33,600.00.^[10]

At the Cowley Abbott Auction of An Important Private Collection of Canadian Art – Part III, December 6, 2023, lot 128, Raphael's Encampment by the River, 1871, oil on canvas, 11 x 16.5 ins ( 27.9 x 41.9 cms ), Auction Estimate: $10,000.00 - $15,000.00, realized a price of $57,600.00.^[11]

• S. R. Goelman, William Raphael, R.C.A. (1833-1914). M.A. Thesis, Concordia University, Montreal, 1978.
• Goelman, Sharon (n.d.). "William Raphael". www.klinkhoff.ca. Alan Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal. Retrieved 2021-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)