John William Beatty Canadian, 1869-1941
Summer on the River, c 1920
oil panel
8.5 x 10.5 in
signed bottom right
Currency:
Further images
Beatty’s path to becoming an artist was anything but conventional: born in Toronto in 1869, he learned his first lessons under his father’s brush, took up engraving, served as a...
Beatty’s path to becoming an artist was anything but conventional: born in Toronto in 1869, he learned his first lessons under his father’s brush, took up engraving, served as a volunteer in the Northwest Rebellion, and worked as a firefighter. His life experiences, together with lessons from Toronto artists like George Agnew Reid, William Cruikshank, and F. M. Bell-Smith gave him the foundation to become a painter. When he later studied in Paris at the Académie Julian, he built on this foundation with formal training that earned him recognition and awards.
In Summer on the River (c.1920), tall leafy trees bursting with summer foliage linger alongside the water and grassy grove. Nature emerges as a bold festival of greens, light sap tones, deep forest shades, and everything in between, touched here and there with violet and ochre. Beatty captures the stillness of summer, yet imbues it with the vibrant movement of his coloured pallet, warmth, abundance, and the waving branches mirrored in facing waters. This oil on panel measures 8.5 x 10.5 inches and is signed on the bottom right.Provenance
- Waddington's, Toronto- Emmett's Custom Framing, Toronto