Alex Colville
Alex Colville was a prominent Canadian painter and war artist, born on August 24, 1920, in Toronto, Ontario. He spent much of his early life in Amherst, Nova Scotia, where a severe illness during childhood sparked his interest in art and drawing. Colville pursued formal art education at Mount Allison University, where he became recognized for his talent. His career took a significant turn during World War II when he enlisted and served as an official war artist, creating a body of work that captured the experiences of the Canadian military.
After the war, Colville returned to Mount Allison as a faculty member while continuing to develop his artistic career. He gained national recognition, earning commissions that included coin designs for Canada's centennial and the prestigious Governor General's Award. Colville's works often featured his wife, Rhoda, and explored themes of everyday life and the human experience. He was honored with numerous accolades throughout his life, including being named a Companion of the Order of Canada. Colville passed away on July 16, 2013, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, leaving behind a legacy of influential artworks that continue to resonate in Canadian art.
Alex Colville
Painter
- Born: August 24, 1920
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario
- Died: July 16, 2013
- Place of death: Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Contribution: Alex Colville was a well-known and widely respected painter. His works, which commonly feature familiar subjects such as his family, animals, and personal surroundings, reflect his unique style of realism—often called magic realism and influenced by surrealism and symbolism. Sometimes compared to the famous American painter Norman Rockwell, Colville’s artistic contributions are considered to be among the most representative of Canadian culture. Some of his most famous works include Horse and Train (1954), the mural The History of Mount Allison (1948), and To Prince Edward Island (1965). Over the course of his long career, Colville received numerous awards, honorary degrees, and other tributes.
Early Life and Education
Alex Colville was born on August 24, 1920, to David Harrower and Florence Colville in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When Colville was nine years old, the family moved to Amherst, Nova Scotia, where his father had secured a job as the superintendent at Robb Engineering Works. Shortly after the family arrived in Nova Scotia, Colville developed a nearly fatal case of pneumonia. During his prolonged recovery in isolation, which had a lasting influence on Colville, he began to take an interest in reading and drawing.
Colville’s interest in drawing led him to attend art classes taught by Sarah Hart, a faculty member at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. He attended Hart’s classes for three years, during which time Stanley Royle, the head of the university’s fine arts department, recognized Colville’s talent and suggested he continue his studies at Mount Allison.
In 1938, Colville formally enrolled at Mount Allison University. Two years later, with World War II raging in Europe, Colville completed a poster for the Wartime Information Board that caught the attention of a military officer in Ottawa. The officer encouraged Colville to consider enlisting as a war artist after college. He took this advice and, after graduating in 1942, enlisted in the First Canadian Army.
Professional Career and Achievements
In 1944, Colville was dispatched to the Canadian Military Headquarters in London, England, where he started his professional career as an official war artist. Between 1944 and 1946, he completed a catalogue of battlefield artwork, much of which would eventually be housed in the Canadian War Museum.
At war’s end, Colville returned home and took a faculty position at Mount Allison, teaching a variety of art classes, including art appreciation and history, mural decoration, and graphic design. At the same time, he continued to create original works and, in 1951, had his first solo exhibition, held at the New Brunswick Museum.
Wishing to commit himself to his artistic pursuits in a full-time capacity, Colville retired from Mount Allison in 1963. Two years later, having gained considerable national recognition, Colville received a commission from the Canadian Mint to design a set of coins to commemorate the country’s upcoming centennial. Depicting various admirable qualities and values, his designs for these coins featured a series of animals. In another government-commissioned work in 1978, Colville designed the Governor General’s Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement.
In 1982, Colville was awarded the Companion of the Order of Canada, which is the country’s highest civilian honor. The next year, Colville’s first career retrospective was unveiled. The exhibition, which was organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, toured across Canada and, between 1984 and 1985, traveled to Germany and East Asia.
Colville was appointed to the Privy Council of Canada, a special advisory committee to the prime minister, by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1991. In 2003, Colville was honored with a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in recognition of his artistic achievements; he was also named a member of the Order of Nova Scotia that year.
Personal Life
One of Colville’s most frequent art subjects was his wife, Rhoda Wright. The couple met as students at Mount Allison University and married in 1942. They had four children: Graham Alexander, John Harrower, Charles Wright, and Ann Christian. Colville died at his home in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, on July 16, 2013.
Principal Works
Infantry, Near Nijmegen, Holland, 1946
The History of Mount Allison, 1948
Man on Verandah, 1953
Horse and Train, 1954
The Swimming Race, 1959
Departure, 1962
To Prince Edward Island, 1965
Pacific, 1967
Refrigerator, 1977
Living Room, 2000
Surveyor, 2001
Artist and Car, 2008
Bibliography
“Alex Colville.” Canada’s Walk of Fame. Canada’s Walk of Fame, 16 July 2013. Web. 1 Aug. 2013.
Alex Colville: Official Site of Canadian Artist Alex Colville. A.C. Fine Art, 16 July 2013. Web. 1 Aug. 2013.
Burnett, Marilyn. “David Alexander Colville.” Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion, 2012. Web. 1 Aug. 2013.
“Explore Alex Colville’s Life and Work.” Colville House. Owens Art Gallery, 16 July 2013. Web. 1 Aug. 2013.
Howes, David. “Alex Colville, Doing Justice to Reality.” Canadian Icon. Canadian Icon, 2013.
McNay, Michael. “Alex Colville.” Guardian. Guardian News, 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 1 Aug. 2013.
Yardley, William. “Alex Colville, Leading Canadian Artist, Dies at 92.” New York Times. New York Times, 24 July 2013. Web. 1 Aug. 2013.