Graham Noble Norwell
Canadian painter
Graham Noble Norwell was born on 11 December 1901 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He was known for his analyses of contemporary Canadian landscapes.
At the age of 14, his parents decided to move to Canada, more specifically to Montreal. A few years later he left for Toronto to study at the Ontario College of Art, during which time he was associated with influential artists who would inspire him. He will study under the supervision of Arthur Lismer and Georges A. Reid, as well as JW Beatty and Robert Holmes.
At the end of his studies, in 1924 he made the decision to return to Europe, specifically to London where he studied. Accompanied by his friend Augustus Edwin John, he decided to go to Paris, then Scotland and Italy. This trip will allow the artist to develop his technique and inspiration for northern landscapes.
Upon his return to Ottawa, he decided to settle there. He was elected a fellow of the Société des artistes de l'Ontario and, at the same time, exhibited with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts from 1921 to 1943 and at the same time with the Art Association of Montréal from 1922 to 1943.
Graham Noble Norwell will mainly represent winter landscapes of Western Canada in oil and watercolor and especially rural landscapes around the Laurentians in Quebec. With its coarse and simplified touches, it will be considered contemporary for its generation where details are still very present in the painting.
His works are now on display in Canada’s largest collections (the National Gallery in Ottawa and the Art Gallery in Toronto).
He eventually settled in Val-David, Quebec, from 1933 to 1943 and died there in 1967.