Frederick Varley’s contribution to Canada’s history of landscape painting is well documented in his work with the Group of Seven. However, Varley’s accomplishments as a portrait painter are often obscured by his association with this iconic group of Canadian painters. Until now, Varley’s portraiture has never been a central focus of any major exhibition. 

The exhibition. F.H. VARLEY: Portraits Into the Light, underscores the mastery and depth of Varley’s portraiture, and chronicles his contribution to the history of portrait painting in Canada throughout the twentieth century. His ability to convey the subtle nuances of the human face and the depth of his sitter’s character is portrayed in a selection of over 70 of F.H. Varley’s most captivating portraits.

The exhibition comprises oil and watercolour paintings as well as a number of the artist’s drawings and preparatory sketches, which mark important periods in Varley’s life and artistic career. F.H. VARLEY: Portraits Into the Light offers viewers the opportunity to trace the trajectory of Varley’s life—from his emigration to Canada in 1912 to his death in 1969—through this incredible body of work by one of the twentieth century’s finest portrait painters.

This exhibition was curated by Katerina Atanassova and circulated by the Varley Art Gallery of Markham with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage – Museums Assistance Program. Katerina Atanassova is also the author of F.H. VARLEY: Portraits Into the Light. 

Visit the Art Gallery of Alberta on December 8, 2007 for HSBC All Day Saturday and tour the exhibition with Katerina Atanassova at 2:00 pm. 

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F.H. VARLEY: Portraits Into the Light Backgrounder (PDF, 341.12 KB)

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