William Noble (c. 1913–2001), Ottawa, Ontario
A Noble Hat
Drawn by Elaine Goble in 2001
Graphite on paper
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Canadian War Museum 20010243-005
— A new exhibition at the Canadian War Museum conveys the Second World War’s
extraordinary and sometimes devastating effects on veterans and survivors from
the Ottawa area. Homage – The Art of Elaine Goble features 14 portraits that capture
the personal legacies of Second World War veterans and survivors the artist has met
throughout her career.
“Elaine Goble’s portraits testify to the physical, psychological and emotional impacts of
conflict in deeply personal ways,” said Caroline Dromaguet, Interim President and CEO
of the Canadian Museum of History and Director General of the Canadian War
Museum. “Though most of the subjects are from the Ottawa area, their personal
experiences are reflective of the experiences of many Canadians from other parts of the
country.”
In 1995, Goble was inspired to draw six veterans she encountered at a Remembrance
Day service. Three years later, she depicted her eight-year-old daughter politely
distracted while an elderly woman described her family’s wartime experiences. Goble
realized her daughter had no understanding of conflict and its effects on survivors, and
shifted her artistic focus to exploring the consequences of war.
Other portraits include those of a fighter pilot who lost his voice but not his outsized
personality, a wireless telegraphist who intercepted signals from German U-boats and
later advocated for equal rights for women in the military, and a female impersonator
who entertained the troops as a member of the Canadian Army’s “Tin Hats.” One longmarried
couple met while serving with the British Royal Navy and the Women’s Royal
Canadian Naval Service, while another built their lives in Canada after surviving multiple
concentration camps.
Philip Favel (1922–2021), Sweetgrass First Nation, Saskatchewan
Normandy Warrior
Painted by Elaine Goble in 2020
Egg tempera on panel
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Canadian War Museum 20200359-001
The most recent work on display in this exhibition is a powerful portrait of Private Philip
Favel, a 98-year-old Cree veteran from Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan. He
took part in the Normandy invasion in 1944 and, after the war, fought for equal
compensation for Indigenous veterans. Mr. Favel passed away in January 2021, only a
few months after the painting was unveiled at the Canadian War Museum.
Goble’s highly realistic paintings and drawings are inspired by her conversations and
photography sessions with her subjects, most of whom were introduced to her by
people she knew within the Ottawa community. By integrating personal objects and
images, she draws attention to the memories and trauma of war.
Homage – The Art of Elaine Goble, created by the Canadian War Museum in
collaboration with the artist, is presented from September 24 to December 12, 2021 in
the North Corridor.
Visitors are strongly encouraged to book their tickets to visit. Admission on site without
a pre-booked ticket is available only on a first-come, first-served basis. For more
information about safety measures at the Museum and to book tickets, please visit
warmuseum.ca.
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to
promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national and
international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through
financial support of the Government of Canada.
About the Artist
Elaine Goble is a portraitist who was born in 1956 in St. Thomas, Ontario. She studied Fine Arts
at York University, and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Western
Ontario in 1978. She has lived in Ottawa since 1979.
Since her first exhibition in 1977 at York University’s Founders Art Gallery, her works have been
shown in dozens of museums and other venues, including the Canadian Museum of History, the
McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Her works are found in
numerous collections, including those of the Canadian War Museum, the City of Ottawa, the
Canada Council Art Bank, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University and the
Canadian Military Engineers Museum.
In 1995, Goble was inspired to draw six veterans at a Remembrance Day service. Three years
later, she depicted her eight-year-old daughter politely distracted while an elderly woman
described her family’s wartime experiences. Goble realized her daughter had no understanding
of conflict and its effects on survivors, and shifted her artistic focus to exploring the
consequences of war.
In 2005, Goble was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to design the 25-cent
commemorative coin for the Year of the Veteran. It depicts veterans from different generations,
representing the men and women who have served in conflicts from the First World War to
Afghanistan.
Artistic Process
Collaboration is vital to Goble’s creative process, which begins with a series of conversations
and photography sessions with her subjects. She sees herself as a diarist, seeking to
understand their stories and capture their personalities in order to infuse each work with
significant details from their lives.
These photographs form the basis of Goble’s works on paper or panel. She works in egg
tempera and graphite pencil, and occasionally pastels and oil paint. Her tiny pencil or brush
strokes render very fine details, building highly realistic images that reflect the photographic
origins of the composition.
Her portraits often integrate images and objects from her subjects’ war years. They are included
in the drawings as talismans, things with meaning that need to be processed by the viewer, and
to represent elements of their story. Goble’s details — a satchel, a medal or a missing limb —
bring attention to the memories and trauma of war.
The resulting artworks are direct, realistic and unsentimental perspectives on the physical,
psychological and emotional impact of her subjects’ wartime experiences.
Gwen Paget (1920–2020), Ottawa, Ontario
Portrait of Gwen
Painted by Elaine Goble in 2018
Egg tempera on panel
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Canadian War Museum 20190297-003
“When Gwen Paget held the painting in her lap,
she said, ‘I really must have done something
important.’”
— Elaine Goble, 2020