Stanley Cosgrove

Stanley Morel Cosgrove (December 23, 1911 – May 28, 2002) was a Canadian painter, draughtsperson, and muralist based in Montreal. He studied at the École des beaux-arts in Montreal from 1929-1935 under Henri Charpentier, Joseph Saint-Charles, and Charles Maillard, and later at the Art Association of Montreal with Edwin Holgate from 1936-1938. In 1938, he assisted Holgate in painting a mural for the Canadian pavilion at the New York World's Fair. Cosgrove's career took a significant turn when he received a Quebec government scholarship in 1939 intended for study in France, but the outbreak of World War II redirected him first to New York and then to Mexico, where he studied at the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City in 1940.

Cosgrove's most formative experience occurred during his four years in Mexico (1940-1944), where he served as an apprentice to renowned muralist José Clemente Orozco. Working on Orozco's fresco for the Hospital Jesus de Nazareno in Mexico City, Cosgrove learned fresco techniques including the use of thin, dry layers of paint. He arrived each morning at six a.m. to help mix mortar, prepare plaster, and assist with various tasks, eventually being allowed to apply flat background colors and sketch principal elements from Orozco's original designs. This experience gave Cosgrove what he described as "a new assurance and directness" in his work. During this period, he also created still lifes, landscapes, and street scenes.

Upon returning to Canada in 1944, Cosgrove became a part-time instructor at the École des beaux-arts in Montreal and was elected to full membership in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1967. He received a Canadian Government fellowship to study in France in 1953, traveling with fellow artist Goodridge Roberts. His work encompassed human figures, still lifes, and landscapes, with particular recognition for his tree paintings. Cosgrove promoted modern fresco painting in Canada, especially for churches, and completed a fresco for the College de Saint Laurent near Montreal. His work is represented in major collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.