Farewell to Alex Colville

I had never heard of the Canadian artist, Alex Colville until I went to the National Gallery of Canada a few days ago. There I was struck by his 1965 painting, To Prince Edward Island. 

Alex Colville, To Prince Edward Island 1965

I immediately wanted to know who had painted it and when. I loved the stylized way in which it was realized and the way that the viewer is drawn into becoming part of the scene. I couldn’t believe that I had never heard of Colville before. Upon doing a little research, I was surprised to learn that he had died only a few weeks before on July 16, 2013.

Alex Colville On a River 1996

Colville was born in 1920 in Toronto Canada. At the age of nine he moved with his family to Nova Scotia, Canada where he would live for the rest of his life. Colville graduated with a degree in fine art in 1942 from Mount Allison University. In 1944 Colville was deployed to Europe as a war artist for the Canadian Infantry. In 1946 Colville returned to his alma mater where he would teach until 1963 when he felt secure enough to earn a living solely from painting. 

Alex Colville Child & Dog 1952

Colville's paintings have a sort of a Hopper-esque quality to them. He painted every-day scenes of people but there is a loneliness to them - a sense of isolation. 

Alex Colville Woman on a Ramp 2007

Mostly Colville's paintings are set in the maritime background of Nova Scotia. At first glance they seem realistic but on closer inspection the forms are very simplified.

Alex Colville

Colville's paintings can be found in many collections throughout the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, The Musee National D'Art Moderne in Paris, the National Gallery in Berlin, and the Museum der Moderner Kunst in Vienna.

Alex Colville, Family & Rainstorm 1955

I love the painting above titled Family & Rainstorm. It seems appropriate as summer starts to draw to a close. Farewell to Summer and farewell to Alex Colville.