Woodnote by Frederick Horsman Varley
Fred Varley
Woodnote
pencil and watercolour
signed lower left and signed with initials lower right; signed, titled, dated 1944 and inscribed “Wychwood in Alymer, Que.” and “Varley INV 191” on the reverse, Varley inventory no. 191
7 x 9.5 ins ( 17.8 x 24.1 cms ) ( sheet )
Auction Estimate: $15,000.00 - $20,000.00
Price Realized $12,540.00
Sale date: December 6th 2023
Linda Lando Fine Art, Vancouver
E. Dorland Taylor, Ottawa
Private Collection, Calgary
“F.H. Varley: A Centennial Exhibition”, The Edmonton Art Gallery; travelling to Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 16 October 1981–13 November 1982, no. 182 as “Woodnote”, 1944
Christopher Varley, “F.H. Varley: A Centennial Exhibition”, Edmonton, 1981, no. 182, reproduced page 160
Peter Varley, “Frederick H. Varley”, Toronto, 1983, reproduced page 71
“Woodnote” of 1944 demonstrates the artist’s keen ability to capture his surroundings with speed and confidence. Watery, light–blue splashes of colour at the centre highlight the trees and plants of the foreground. The artist’s son Peter Varley observed; “The delicate watercolour and pencil “Woodnote” is an example of the shift in Varley’s landscape drawing during these years. Soft and fluid, there is an evident mastery.”
Share this item with your friends
Frederick Horsman Varley
(1881 - 1969) Group of Seven, Canadian Group of Painters, 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.
