Symphony, n.d. Watercolour on paper by Arthur Checkley (1874-1964)

Symphony, n.d. Watercolour on paper by Arthur Checkley (1874-1964)

Name/Title

Symphony

Entry/Object ID

2020.03.02

Description

Painting This landscape depicts a green and sunlit mountain meadow with undulating rippled terrain and windswept evergreen trees, bright blue hills and mountains in the distance. The location is unknown.

Artwork Details

Medium

Watercolour on paper

Context

The word "symphony" had a variety of different meanings over the centuries before ultimately settling on its current meaning that designates a musical form. In terms of this watercolour, it would seem the word is being used as the title to describe a work of multiple distinct things, such as shapes and colours, that are working together to create a visually pleasing harmony.

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Arthur Checkley (1874-1964)

Role

Painter

Date made

n.d.

Time Period

20th Century

Notes

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Born in Staffordshire, England, Arthur Checkley studied at the Birmingham School of Art. After immigrating to Canada in 1913, Checkley found success as an artist in eastern and central Canada. He arrived in Western Canada circa 1928 to be welcomed by the Island Arts and Crafts Society. He held a solo exhibition in Victoria, B.C. in the following year. His exhibited works in watercolour and oil depicted Vancouver Island, the Canadian Rockies and Saskatchewan scenery, and were reviewed in "The Daily Colonist" paper. Checkley, influenced by the famed Canadian Group of Seven, explored the abstract in his work, but he always retained the pictorial strengths in his art. Checkley is remembered not only as a notable artist, but also as an art educator and organizer. He became a significant member of the IACS, serving on the executive and exhibited frequently in the Society's annual exhibitions until 1940. He directed the art section of the annual Willows Fair in Oak Bay, Victoria, and, in this capacity, he gave artist Emily Carr (1871-1945) a whole section of the 1933 exhibition to herself. He also exhibited at the B.C. Artists exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He exhibited in the Seattle Art Museum's annual Northwest Artists exhibitions and was also a member of the Victoria Sketch Club. On his death, it was reported that Checkley "retired" from his profession of "Artist (Painter)" in 1940. The B.C. Archives and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria both hold collections of his work. The Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria offers an Arthur Checkley Memorial Bursary funded by the University of Victoria Foundation. Checkley was also one of 118 Canadian artists who, in 1932, demanded reform at the National Gallery of Canada including a government investigation and threatened a contentious boycott. In addition to the Gallery, the controversy involved the Canadian Group of Seven, the Royal Canadian Academy, various key artist societies (incl. the Island Arts and Crafts Society), Government Ministers and many professional artists. See Web Links.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription, Signature

Location

Verso on card/paper backing: ARTHUR CHECKLEY VICTORIA, B.C. "Symphony" Also ink stamp - illegible, maybe The Dominion Gallery [Montreal] Signed lower right recto: Arthur Checkley

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Support

Height

22.9 cm

Width

30.5 cm

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Date

Mar 2020

Notes

Art Fare purchase

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

By Arthur Checkley: 2017.02.03 Coastal Vista 2017.05.15 Walking Toward the Sea 2019.05.01 Snowscape 2019.05.02 B.C. Interior Landscape 2019.05.03 Ocean View 2019.07.01 Forest Glade 2019.07.02 Mountain Landscape (likely Fraser Valley, B.C.) 2019.07.03 Seascape with Flock of Gulls 2020.03.01 Rocky Mountain Forms 2020.03.02 Symphony