Henry George Glyde

Notes:

signed lower right; signed & titled verso

Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary

Note: This is one of only ten works ever produced by Glyde in this size. They were created at the request of Peter Ohler Sr. for an exhibition and sale at Masters Gallery, Calgary AB.

English-born Glyde trained at the Brassey Institute in Hastings and the Royal College of Art in London, before accepting an invitation from his friend, A.C. Leighton, then director of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, to join him at the Institute. Glyde moved to Calgary with his family in 1935, working initially as a drawing instructor, then taking over from Leighton as Director of the Institute. In 1946, Glyde moved to Edmonton to head the Departnment of Fine Arts at the University of Alberta, where he remained for twenty years until his retirement. Over the years, Glyde additionally taught at the Banff School of Fine Art (1936-1967) and in various rural centres, offering arts instruction through the extension program of the University of Alberta (1936-1946). He was also the president of the Alberta Society of Artists for a number of years.

Glyde painted and exhibited actively throughout his long and distinguished teaching career. A contemporary of A.Y. Jackson (Jackson mentions Glyde several times in his autobiography), the two were frequent sketching partners. Yet Glyde’s approach to landscape painting was distinct. His representation of the landscape did not emanate from an emotional response, nor did he use a strong colour palette. In keeping with his classical training, his approach was rooted in observation, design and composition, yielding a representation of the landscape that expresses the majesty of the subject while maintaining a gentle, underlying harmony and rhythm.

Notes:

signed lower left; signed & titled on the stretcher verso; dated on the gallery label verso
Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary AB; Estate of Helen & Arnold “Arnie” Birns, Calgary AB

Note: This is one of only ten works ever produced by Glyde in this size. They were created at the request of Peter Ohler Sr. for an exhibition and sale at Masters Gallery, Calgary AB.

Henry George Glyde is one of Alberta’s most important historical artists, and played an integral role in the development of art in Alberta. The English born artist trained at the Brassey Institute in Hastings and the Royal College of Art in London. He was a friend and colleague of A. C. Leighton who, as the director of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, invited Glyde to join him at the Institute as a drawing instructor. Glyde moved to Calgary with his family in 1935, and soon after took over as director from Leighton. Glyde remained at the Institute until 1946, when he moved to Edmonton to establish a fine arts program at the University of Alberta, where he remained for twenty years until his retirement. In addition to these duties, Glyde taught at the Banff School of Fine Art (1936-1967) and in various rural centres through the extension program of the University of Alberta (1936-1946). He was also the president of the Alberta Society of Artists for a number of years.

Many of Alberta’s early artists were adventurers drawn to the rugged and picturesque landscape, aided in their travels by the development of the railroad. While there were many visiting painters in the 1920s and 1930s, most returned home. Glyde, like Leighton, was one of a few artists, mostly English trained, who stayed to paint and teach, and who went on to influence future generations of Canadian artists. Like many painters of the West, he was drawn to the compelling landscape of the Rocky Mountains. He often held outdoor art classes – numerous early photos exist of Glyde with a group of students, sitting on rocks, trees in the background, pencils in hand.

Glyde painted and exhibited actively throughout his long and distinguished teaching career. A contemporary of A. Y. Jackson (Jackson mentions Glyde several times in his autobiography), the two were frequent sketching partners. Yet Glyde’s approach to landscape painting was distinct. His style was not founded on an emotional response to nature and a strong colour palette. In keeping with his classical training, his approach was rooted in observation, design and composition, yielding a representation of the landscape that expresses the majesty of the subject with a quiet, underlying harmony and rhythm.

Notes:

signed & titled

Helen Collinson, Glyde’s daughter, writes in “A Life Journey-The Art and Teaching of H.G. Glyde” (Glenbow Museum, Calgary; 1987):

He was fascinated by the architecture of the soaring prairie grain elevators and, in calling them the “Cathedrals of the Prairie,” likened them to the sprires of churches in England. I remember his describing how the elevator signaled, miles in advance, the presence of a town here in Alberta in much the same way as the cathedral spire did in England.

Perhaps the couples depicted in this painting are on their way to a Sunday morning service. There is a small steeple in the skyline of the town, although it features far less prominently than the red roofed elevators. Glyde, perhaps more than most western Canadian painters, incorporated the human figure into his regional landscapes.

Notes:

signed

Notes:

signed & titled

Notes:

signed, titled & dated