“H.G. GLYDE, A Selection of Early Works”

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H.G. Glyde, "FAMILY PORTRAIT," C. 1963

oil on masonite, 36" x 24"

In the first ten years of his residence in Canada, Glyde focused his practice on the illustration of his environment and creating a Canadian art. This exhibition contains many of his early sketches of towns and landscapes around Alberta. His sketching method, a continuation of his English method, was to set the composition first with a drawing, then fill it in with subdued washes of colour. The naturalism of these paintings is the result of direct and careful observation of the Canadian landscape.

Glyde also depicted Canadian life through figure painting. He was not only influenced by the landscape, but also the people he met. He paints an idyllic semi-agrarian life with frolicking maidens and lads, celebrating the countryside and lifestyle of rural Alberta.

Later in his career Glyde starts to experiment with abstraction, influenced by Cubism and the International Movement in New York. He began playing with form, shape, and texture in his paintings using bold primary colours. He experimented with painting surfaces - thick impasto, stippling, knife-work, collage, and more.

This exhibition explores Glyde’s timeline, with a focus on his early works and the formation of his Canadian style.

Masters Gallery is pleased to present H.G. Glyde, A Selection of Early Works, opening December 1, 2016.

Artworks available for prior sale

About The Artist

Throughout his long career as an artist and teacher in Calgary, Banff, and Edmonton, English born and educated Henry G. Glyde was a key player in the development of art in Alberta over a 30-year period starting in 1935. In his practice and teaching, Glyde promoted the development of a distinctive view of Western Canada based on direct observation and interaction with the landscape and its people.

Following a major retrospective exhibition at the Glenbow Museum in 1987, the estate of H.G. Glyde donated a collection of 573 works to Glenbow in 1998, representing the enormous legacy of the artist's work in this region. The collection illustrates different periods during his career where he experimented with a variety of media and styles, and demonstrates his strong technical drawing abilities. It also includes several works by his students, emphasising his impact as a teacher in the early professional arts community. With the addition of this donation, Glenbow Museum has 820 works by Glyde making it the most important centre in Canada for the research of Glyde's life and work. - Glenbow Museum