Frederick Loveroff (or F. N. Loveroff as he was also known) (1894 August12, 1959) was a painter, known for his landscapes and scenes of Canadian farms.

Career

Loveroff was born in Terpeniye village, Kars region, Russia. His mother died when he was young and his father, a

Doukhobor The Doukhobors ( Canadian spelling) or Dukhobors (; ) are a Spiritual Christian ethnoreligious group of Russian origin. They are known for their pacifism and tradition of oral history, hymn-singing, and verse. They reject the Russian Ortho ...

farmer, took him to live in Petrofka village, west of

Rosthern, Saskatchewan Rosthern is a town at the juncture of Highway 11 and Highway 312 in central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is roughly halfway between the cities of Prince Albert and Saskatoon. History Mennonite settlers, led by Gerhard Ens, began arriving in ...

in 1899. After studies at a Quaker school in Pennsylvania, he worked his own homestead near

Borden, Saskatchewan Borden ( 2021 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Great Bend No. 405 and Census Division No. 16. Borden is named after Sir Frederick William Borden, Minister of Militia in the ...

.A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada During winter nights on the homestead, he taught himself watercolour and seeing one of these works, Colonel Perret, the Principal of his school, the Normal School in Regina, interested D. A. Dunlap, a Toronto mining magnate, in sponsoring an art education for the young man. In 1913, at the age of nineteen, Loveroff moved to Toronto, changed his name to Loveroff, and attended the Central Ontario School of Art (today's

OCAD Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park and Entertainment District neighbourhoods ...

). Here, he studied for the next four years with

George Agnew Reid George Agnew Reid who signed his name as G. A. Reid (July 25, 1860 – August 23, 1947) was a Canadian artist, Painting, painter, influential educator and administrator. He is best known as a genre painter, but his work encompassed the mu ...

, J.W. Beatty, and

J.E.H. MacDonald James Edward Hervey MacDonald (12 May 1873–26 November 1932) was an English-Canadian artist, best known as a member of the Group of Seven (artists), Group of Seven who asserted a distinct national identity combined with a common heritage stem ...

of the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...

as well as William Cruikshank. He graduated in 1917 but even before then had begun to exhibit with the

Royal Canadian Academy The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

(RCA) and the

Ontario Society of Artists The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) was founded in 1872. It is Canada's oldest continuously operating professional art society. When it was founded at the home of John Arthur Fraser, seven artists were present. Besides Fraser himself, Marmaduke ...

(OSA). In 1920, he was elected an Associate member of the Royal Canadian Academy and in 1921, a member of the OSA. His painting career lasted from 1915 to 1934 when it ended likely due to the Depression. He left for California that year to make his living as a farmer and died in Redwood City in 1960 at the age of sixty-six. Loveroff compiled a phenomenal record of achievement in a few years of activity, wrote the curator of a show devoted to his work in 1981. His work reflects the growing strength and popularity of Canadian Impressionism: he delighted in vibrant but subtle colour. One of the high points of his career was the acceptance of his painting ''Snow on the Hillside'' by the

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery The Leicester Museum & Art Gallery (until 2020, New Walk Museum and Art Gallery) is a museum on New Walk in Leicester, England, not far from the city centre. It opened in 1849 as one of the first public museums in the United Kingdom. Leicest ...

, England, after the painting had been exhibited at the

British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government decide ...

, a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, Wembley, England, from 23 April 1924 to 31 October 1925. His work was also part of group exhibitions at the Imperial Gallery of Art in London, England, and at the Musée du Jeu de Paume in Paris, France. He is represented in the public collections of the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, Ottawa; Hart House (today the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Art Museum at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

); the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

; and the

MacKenzie Art Gallery The MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG; ) is an art museum located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The museum occupies the multipurpose T. C. Douglas Building, situated at the edge of the Wascana Centre. The building holds eight galleries totaling to of ...

, Regina, among others. His work fuses an insight into the satisfactions of Canadian farm and country life with a handling that marks him as a worthy member of the group of Canadian Impressionists who ushered in new ways of seeing and depicting life in Canada.

Record prices at auction

A work by Loveroff, ''Evening, Algonquin'', an oil on board, 8 x 10 ins (20.3 x 25.4 cms), estimated at the Cowley-Abbott auction in Toronto at $3,000.00-$5,000.00 had a price realized of $38,520.00, December 14, 2021.

Career

Record prices at auction

References

Further reading