Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

THE HARVEST

Date Range From

1961

Date Range To

1967

Materials

OIL, MASONITE, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

75.7

Length

90.7

Width

6.6

Description

BROWN, GREY AND GOLD LAYERED FRAME HOLDS OIL PAINTING ON MASONITE. FRAME IS DAMAGED ON GOLD LAYER AT UPPER LEFT SIDE. VARIOUS MINOR SCRATCHES THROUGHOUT. SCENE DEPICTS A HARVEST AT SUNSET WITH THREE COMBINES, HOUSE, MOUNTAIN RANGE AND GHOSTLY SHADOW OF PLOW IN FOREGROUND AT LEFT. REVERSE FRAME HAS WRITTEN AND STAMPED ON EDGE, “RETURN TO GAINSBOROUGH ART STUDIO, 710 5 AVE. S., LETHBRIDGE ALTA. AFTER OCTOBER 1-67 FOR VARNISHING. PROPERTY OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB.” MASONITE HAS WRITTEN IN PERMANENT MARKER “22,” ENCLOSED WITH CIRCLE IN UPPER LEFT. WRITTEN IN PERMANENT MARKER IN UPPER RIGHT IS, “7872D,” ENCLOSED WITH CIRCLE. BOTTOM LEFT HAS PAPER LABEL FIXED WITH ADHESIVE TAPE. LABEL READS, “PROPERTY OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION 1967, ARTISTS: RITA RIDER, ADDRESS: 3020 – 11 AVE S., TITLE: THE HARVEST, MEDIUM: OIL, VALUE $, THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR INSURANCE OF ENTRIES NOR THEIR LOSS OR DAMAGE., GLUE OR TAPE THIS PORTION FIRMLY TO BACK OF WORK.”

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

RITA RIDER (1910 - 2005) WAS BORN ON MAY 8, 1910 IN MONARCH ALBERTA. AFTER PUBLIC SCHOOL, SHE ATTENDED L.C.I. IN LETHBRIDGE, AND NORMAL SCHOOL IN CALGARY. RIDER STARTED TEACHING READYMADE SCHOOL IN 1931 WHERE SHE MET AND LATER MARRIED JOHN RIDER AND THEY TOOK UP A LIFE ON THE FARM NEAR READYMADE SCHOOL. SHE CONTINUED TO TEACH AT READYMADE SCHOOL UNTIL 1959 WHEN SHE AND JOHN RETIRED AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. ACCORDING TO HER OBITUARY IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, “[AFTER MOVING TO LETHBRIDGE], RITA BECAME INVOLVED IN THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB AND GOT MUCH PLEASURE OUT OF PAINTING AND SOCIALIZING WITH FRIENDS.” IN SEPTEMBER 1968, THE CLUB HELD AN ELECTION AT WHICH TIME RITA RIDER ALONGSIDE JO BALL WERE VOTED TO BE IN CHARGE OF EXHIBITS. RIDER PASSED AWAY ON FEBRUARY 13, 2005 AT THE AGE OF 94. IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THIS PAINTING WAS CREATED AFTER SHE AND JOHN TOOK UP RESIDENCE AT THE ADDRESS ON THE BACK OF THE BOARD IN 1961, AND SOMETIME BEFORE THE PAINTING WAS EXHIBITED IN 1967 (AS EVIDENCED BY LABEL ON REVERSE). RETIRING TO THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE AFTER A LIFETIME IN THE COUNTRY, IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THIS PAINTING WAS INSPIRED BY HER EXPERIENCE LIVING ON THE PRAIRIES ON A FARM NEAR READYMADE. AT THE TIME OF DONATION, THE PAINTING WAS IN THE POSSESSION OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. OVER THE YEARS, ARTIST, FAMILY MEMBERS AND PATRONS HAVE DONATED PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED WORKS BACK TO THE CLUB’S COLLECTION. THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB HELD THEIR FIRST MEETING AT THE HOME OF MISS ANNA MACKENZIE ON OCTOBER 7, 1936. EDITH FANNY KIRK WAS THE FIRST ART TEACHER IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE CAME FROM BRITAIN WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING AND IT WAS KIRK WHO SET THE STAGE FOR THE SKETCH CLUB TO COME INTO BEING. THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FORMATION BY PROVIDING RECOGNITION OF ARTISTIC MERIT THROUGH DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS. ANNA MACKENZIE AND P.J. COLLINS CONCEIVED OF THE CLUB AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE IN BANFF. THE GROUP WAS FORMED OUT OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN ART AND SOON AFTER THE GROUP BEGAN MEETING, THERE WERE REGULAR EXHIBITIONS. THE GROUP WAS PRIVY TO THE ATTENTION OF GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST A.Y.JACKSON WHEN HE MADE HIS FREQUENT SKETCHING TRIPS TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE REGULARLY ACCOMPANIED THE SKETCH CLUB AND HIS INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN IN MUCH OF THEIR WORK. ANOTHER GUEST OF THE GROUP WAS ANNORA BROWN WHO WAS AN ARTIST WHO HAD TRAINED IN TORONTO, BUT RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD AND BEGAN SPENDING TIME WITH THE GROUP IN 1939. HER INTEREST IN FLOWER STUDIES IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE INSPIRED MANY OF THE WORKS BY CLUB MEMBERS. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE GROUP ORGANIZED SUMMER CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUT OF TOWN ARTISTS SUCH AS: H.G.GLYDE, WALTER J. PHILIPS AND A.C. LEIGHTON. ACCORDING TO A HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB WRITTEN BY JOAN STEBBINS IN JUNE, 1985, “THE PAINTINGS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB PORTRAY FAVOURITE SKETCHING AREAS IN THE REGION – THE COULEES PROVIDED ENDLESS MATERIAL, THE RIVERBOTTOM, THE OLD R.C.M.P. BARRACKS, THE WHITNEY FARM, HENDERSON LAKE, THE FELGER HUTTERITE COLONY, THE FOOTHILLS AND WATERTON LAKE WERE OFTEN REPEATED SUBJECTS.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20120030006

Acquisition Date

2012-08

Collection

Museum

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