signed lower right; titled and Varley Inventory Number (441) stamped on the reverse
12 × 15 in (30.5 × 38.1 cm)
Auction Estimate:$20,000 - $30,000
Sale date:May 31, 2016
Price Realized
$19,550
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Roberts Gallery, Toronto
Canadian Fine Arts, Toronto
Private Collection, Ontario
Literature
Maria Tippett, “Stormy Weather: F.H. Varley, A Biography”, Toronto, 1998, pages 13 and 231
Varley was born in Sheffield, England in 1881 and immigrated to Canada in 1912 with encouragement from a future Group of Seven member, Arthur Lismer, who had already made his way from Sheffield to Toronto by that time. Varley was an official war artist and became a member of the Group of Seven in 1920. In 1955, Varley made a sketching trip to Cape Breton, during which he remained loyal to earth tones in his painting. He said, “I think the best work done is when painting memories,” but he was also an independent romantic who knew when to push himself. Varley best reveals these personal dichotomies in small, intimate examples of his work.
