Where to See Alex Colville

Alex Colville's work can be seen in many public collections. In Canada, the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa) and the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto) hold examples. Other locations include the Mackenzie Art Gallery (Regina, Saskatchewan). In the United States, museums with Colville's pieces include the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, D.C.), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). His art is also held by the Art Institute of Chicago. Outside North America, Colville's work has been displayed at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra and at the Tate Gallery in London. These galleries provide opportunities to view selections of Colville's paintings, prints, and other media.

When considering Alex Colville's prints, bear in mind the distinction between an original print and a reproduction. An original print is conceived and executed solely as a print, often in a numbered edition, and signed by the artist. Each print is created from a matrix, such as a plate or screen, and is individually inked and pulled. In contrast, a reproduction is a copy of a work initially created in another medium, such as painting or watercolour, often produced photomechanically. Numbering and signing a reproduction does not alter its essence; it remains a copy, not an original print. The Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada (PADAC) has defined these terms, which are accepted by major arts organisations in the country. The intent behind the image is what distinguishes an original print from a reproduction. If the aim is to replicate an image best created as a painting, it is a reproduction, regardless of the technique used.

Alex Colville (1921^[2]-2013^[2]) was a Canadian^[2] painter known for his precise, realist style. His images often evoke a sense of stillness or tension, exploring themes of contemporary life, human relationships, and the natural world. Colville's importance lies partly in his departure from earlier Canadian art movements, such as the Group of Seven. While the Group of Seven focused on romanticised, uninhabited wilderness, Colville situated his work in the everyday. His paintings include modern settings and ordinary people, marking a shift in Canadian art away from pure nationalism toward a more nuanced reflection of lived experience. Colville's work is also important because of his technical skill and unique vision. He used precise geometry and careful observation to create compositions that are both realistic and subtly unsettling. His paintings are widely recognised and continue to resonate with audiences.

While information on Alex Colville's specific techniques is limited, we can discuss materials and methods common to artists. Artists often prepare their painting surfaces with gesso, applied to canvas or hardboard panels. The gesso provides a suitable ground for the paint. Oil painters frequently use mediums and thinners to modify the consistency and drying time of their paints. Thinners, such as turpentine or mineral spirits, evaporate quickly. Mediums, containing oils or varnishes, alter the paint's composition and texture. A common medium can be created by mixing linseed oil, damar varnish, and turpentine. Sketching is a standard practice. Artists employ sketch pads and pencils for preliminary studies. Canvases come in various textures, with medium-textured canvas being a popular choice. Some artists stretch their own canvases, while pre-made canvases are also available. For rigid supports, Masonite boards can be prepared with multiple coats of gesso.

A.Y. Jackson, a member of the Group of Seven, supported the development of younger Canadian^[2] artists. In 1966^[2], Jackson suggested that Robert McMichael acquire work from artists such as Ogilvie, York Wilson, Alan Collier, Colville, Forestall, Comfort, and Lemieux. Jackson appeared to dislike some modern artists, such as Paul-Émile Borduas, but he still supported artists from across Canada. Many young artists who began their careers between 1925 and 1930, during the height of the Group of Seven, comprised the Canadian Group of Painters. The Group of Seven's struggle with tradition gave hope and direction to these younger painters. The Canadian Group of Painters' main purpose was to sustain the values of the Group of Seven. The Canadian Group of Painters' creative years occurred during a difficult time for art, and few of its members achieved fame.

Identifying specific influences on an artist's work is complex, but broad sources can be identified. Some artists have noted the importance of artistic community. The unconscious collaboration between artists, whether through agreement or disagreement, can compel one to improve. Contact with other artists helps destroy isolation. Artists learn from predecessors and contemporaries alike. Exposure to a range of art, museum and gallery shows, and visits to other artists' studios can influence an artist's direction. One artist noted being affected by Analytic Cubist drawing early in their career. By 1950^[2]-51, Pollock, de Kooning, and Rothko had become mentors. They also saw work at Betty Parsons's gallery by Still, Rothko, and Newman. In the later 1950s and early 1960s, they were moved and intrigued by Louis's Veils and Unfurleds and Noland's targets and chevrons.

It is difficult to identify one single work as Alex Colville's "most famous". His career produced many pieces now held in prominent collections. In 1964^[2], Colville completed "Bridge", "Golden Day", "Half Way", and "Three-Thirty". The following year, 1965, saw the completion of "Grave Light", "Nobid", "Saturday Night", "Plunge", and "Largesse". In 1966, he created "Approach", "Dark Sweet Cherry", "Sound", "Shift", "Shade", "Dry Shift", "Deep Pillot", "Strand", "Blue Shift II", "Pause", "Warm and Cool", "Approach", "Untitled", "Must", and "Solar Edge". "Via Blues", "Powder", "Rainbow", "The Time", and "Seamline" were all completed in 1967. These works are held in collections such as The Davidson Family, Toronto; The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Canada; and the Robert A. Rowan Collection. Others are in private collections in Toronto, Chicago, Boston, and New York.

Alex Colville is difficult to place within a specific art movement. Colville's career began in the mid-20th century, after the heyday of modern art movements. The Canadian^[2] Group of Painters was founded in 1933^[2], with the intention of maintaining values of free expression in pursuit of a Canadian style, as put forth by the Group of Seven. The Group of Seven were interested in presenting the possibility of aesthetic involvement to a large number of people. They felt that art societies, with their European-oriented view of the painter's profession, were doing little to foster cultural awareness in Canadian society. What was needed, they felt, was a direct mode of painting derived from Canadian experience. Some general tendencies can be blocked in before we view the assembled works.