Harold Elliott | |
---|---|
Born | Harold Herbert Elliott 27 March 1890
Killarney, Manitoba |
Died | 28 August 1968
Burnaby, British Columbia | (aged 78)
Known for | Painter |
Movement | Fauvism, Surrealism, Expressionism |
Harold Herbert Elliott (1890–1968) was a Canadian artist.
The parents of Harold Hebert Elliott were pioneers in Killarney, Manitoba, [1] and Elliott was the eldest of ten children. [2] Before arriving in British Columbia in 1920, [3] Elliot was variously a homesteader in Fielding, Saskatchewan, [4] a school-teacher , a prospector and a poet. [1] He ran a pickle-manufacturing business for 10 years. [5] His first marriage had resulted in two children, and in 1927 Elliott married again, to Elizabeth West Henderson. [2] He began painting in 1948, as recommended by his doctor following a heart failure. [6] Elliott was often described as eccentric. [1] [6] [7] In order to evoke the creative spirit, he liked to wear long gypsy-like robes. [6] [8] He sometimes adopted personae of his own creation, or imaginatively emulated idols such as Rembrandt, Turner, and Emily Carr. [6] His asking price for his works was extremely high, and he completely refused to part with some pieces. [6] Elliott claimed to have painted over 5000 pictures. [1] His paintings are often signed "Van Volkingburgh", after his mother's family name." [1] In 1964, three of his paintings were featured in New Talents B.C. at the Vancouver Art Gallery. [5] [6] Elliott donated much of his art collection, and many of his own works, to the J. A. Victor David museum located in his hometown of Killarney. [2]
Most often constructed on cardboard, his paintings are generally small. [6] In Elliott's early work, he used materials like shoe polish and red ink, overlaid with thick varnish in order to achieve an effect like the old masters. [1] He preferred to concentrate on one colour at a time. [5] His landscapes typically have wandering, vaguely human figures, [1] with an overall sense of approaching menace. [6] A melancholy mood is commonly established by the sun never really breaking through the clouds. [9] Circular shapes frequently recur. [6] Another motif is triangulation, whereby a single figure observes two others from a distance. [2] Later paintings have faceless figures with large blank eyes. [6] Doris Shadbolt remarked that Elliott "is a kind of visionary painter. His work is completely apart from the historical stream of art," [5] a summation echoed by David Watmough. [9] His paintings have an overall "unlearned" aspect, anticipating later trends. [6]