Frederick Horsman Varley
(1881 - 1969) Group of Seven, ARCA
Previously Sold Works
FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY
The Valley of the Don
oil on board
signed and dated 1925 lower left; Varley Inventory Number 673
11.5 x 15.75 ins ( 29.2 x 40 cms )
Sold for $42,000.00
Sale date: November 23rd 2017
FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY
Spring Meadow, Don Valley
oil on canvas
titled and Varley Inventory Number 1044 stamped on the stretcher
9.25 x 13.25 ins ( 23.5 x 33.7 cms )
Sold for $28,320.00
Sale date: May 28th 2019
FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY
Mabou - Cape Breton
oil on canvas board
signed lower right; titled and Varley Inventory Number (441) stamped on the reverse
12 x 15 ins ( 30.5 x 38.1 cms )
Sold for $19,550.00
Sale date: May 31st 2016
FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY
Belfountain
watercolour
signed lower right
10 x 12.5 ins ( 25.4 x 31.8 cms ) ( sight )
Sold for $11,500.00
Sale date: December 14th 2016
FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY
Valley and Peaks
pen drawing
signed lower left; Varley Inventory No. 407 on the reverse
11 x 13.75 ins ( 27.9 x 34.9 cms ) ( sight )
Sold for $2,596.00
Sale date: October 22nd 2019
Consignments
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Frederick Varley Biography
(1881 - 1969) Group of Seven, ARCA
Born in Sheffield, England, Frederick Varley went to Antwerp as a young man to study art at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts and then returned to London, England to work as an illustrator. In 1912 he came to Toronto, Canada where he formed a friendship with Arthur Lismer. Lismer introduced Varley to fellow artists who spent their weekends painting outside of the city. They tried to convince Varley that the most challenging and inspiring subject matter was the Canadian Landscape. Varley, who was more interested in portraiture, took a while to warm to the lure of the landscape, which he eventually did. His best work, however, continued to be his portrait and figure work into which he incorporated the landscape.
In 1926 he accepted a teaching position at the Vancouver School of Art and stayed in British Columbia until 1936 when he returned to Eastern Canada to continue his career as an artist with some teaching to help his finances. Varley was an avid reader of philosophy, in particular the writings of Chinese writers. These writings, along with his own observations, influenced his approach to colour and subject matter. He felt "colour vibrations", as he expressed it, "emanating from the object portrayed". His personal use of colour became a trademark of his paintings and one that is still used by so many artists today, such was the lasting influence of his work.
