William Ronald

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Ronald, William ( William Ronald Smith) (1926– ). Canadian-American painter and radio and television presenter, a leading figure in the development and acceptance of abstract art in Canada. He was born in Stratford, Ontario, and studied under Jock Macdonald at Ontario College of Art, Toronto, 1947–51. In 1953 he was the driving force behind the formation of the Toronto group of abstract artists Painters Eleven, but in 1955 he moved to New York, where he enjoyed considerable success among the second generation of Abstract Expressionists; in a work such as Central Black (Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario, 1955–6), the slashing brushstrokes recall the work of Franz Kline. Ronald lived in the USA until 1965, becoming an American citizen in 1963, but he retained a large following in Toronto and exerted a strong influence on painters there. With the decline in Abstract Expressionism his popularity waned, but after his return to Canada he achieved success as a radio and television celebrity, presenting chat-shows and programmes on art and current affairs. He also developed a kind of road-show performance in which, dressed in immaculate white, he painted on stage before an audience to the accompaniment of rock music. In the 1970s he returned to serious painting and in 1983 he completed a series of pictures inspired by Canada's prime ministers.

Ronald, William ( William Ronald Smith) (b Stratford, Ontario, 13 Aug. 1926). Canadian-American painter and radio and television presenter, a leading figure in the development and acceptance of abstract art in Canada. In 1955 he moved from Toronto to New York, where he enjoyed considerable success among the second generation of Abstract Expressionists. He lived in the USA until 1965, becoming an American citizen in 1963, but he retained a large following in Toronto and exerted a strong influence on painters there. With the decline of Abstract Expressionism his popularity waned, but after his return to Canada he achieved success as a radio and television personality, presenting chat shows and programmes on art and current affairs. He also developed a kind of road-show performance in which he painted on stage before an audience to the accompaniment of rock music.

Ronald, William ( William Ronald Smith) (1926– ). Canadian-American painter and radio and television presenter, a leading figure in the development and acceptance of abstract art in Canada. In 1955 he moved from Toronto to New York, where he enjoyed considerable success among the second generation of Abstract Expressionists. He lived in the USA until 1965, becoming an American citizen in 1963, but he retained a large following in Toronto and exerted a strong influence on painters there. With the decline of Abstract Expressionism his popularity waned, but after his return to Canada he achieved success as a radio and television personality, presenting chat shows and programmes on art and current affairs. He also developed a kind of roadshow performance in which he painted on stage before an audience to the accompaniment of rock music.