Mountains

Mountains, n.d. Pastel on paper by Orville Norman Fisher (1911-1999)

Mountains, n.d. Pastel on paper by Orville Norman Fisher (1911-1999)

Name/Title

Mountains

Entry/Object ID

2014.07.07

Description

Drawing This image depicts an undulating and rippling mountain landscape with a barren area in the foreground, moving through some darker areas to shimmering snow-covered blue green mountains in the distance. It is a bold and minimalist graphic representation whose design leads the eye to the shimmering sunlit mountains. The location is unknown.

Artwork Details

Medium

Pastel sketch on paper

Subject Place

Region

Cascades and Plateau

Continent

North America

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Orville Norman Fisher (1911-1999)

Role

Artist

Date made

n.d.

Time Period

20th Century

Notes

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Born in Vancouver, Orville Norman Fisher was an accomplished Canadian artist, an Official Canadian War Artist and a teacher. He was an early honours graduate of the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (now the Emily Carr University of Art and Design), after training with Fred Varley (1881-1969) of the famed Canadian Group of Seven and others. He did post-graduate studies at the B.C. College of Arts, and later formed an artistic partnership with fellow Vancouver artists E.J. Hughes (1919-2007) and Paul Goranson (1911-2002). Together, they completed murals for the Malaspina Hotel in Nanaimo and for the B.C. Pavilion at the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. When World War II broke out, Fisher joined as a private in the Royal Canadian Engineers; however, after his artistic talents were recognized, Fisher was transferred to officer training and made an Official War Artist. On June 6th, 1944, Fisher was the only Allied war artist to take part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. He did 246 sketches at the time that he later turned into powerful watercolours and oil paintings. The series is now housed in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa. After the war, Fisher returned to Vancouver where he began a teaching career at the Vancouver School of Art founding the Graphics Department which he headed from 1946 until 1976. And he continued his work as a muralist, graphic artist, painter and interior decoration designer. He was a member of the B.C Society of Artists and the Canadian Society of Graphic Artists. Fisher died at 88 years of age in Langley, B.C.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Signature

Location

Signed lower left: O N Fisher

Transcription

Also notes verso mounting art board - pic in file, illegible And framer's label: THE ART EMPORIUM / H. HOOD, Proprietor / PICTURES and PICTURE FRAMING 1103 Robson Street Vancouver, B.C. Note: The Art Emporium gallery, started by early Vancouver's top photographer, Philip Timms RPS (1874-1973) in 1897, was one of the earliest art and framing stores in the city, opening on Georgia Street and is certainly the oldest, still operating (as of 2024) on South Granville St. at W. 13th Ave.

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Support

Height

45.7 cm

Width

60.9 cm

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Date

May 13, 2014

Notes

Lunds Lot #87